> Intergalactic Intentions > by Starbright1996 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue One: The Long and Desilate Journey > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prologue 1: “the long desolate journey” Space, for most of the people that I talk to it is a final frontier where humans would one day be the pioneers of the whole universe, And in a sense lead a new era of imperialism to whatever planet we visit. But, for me it is a sense of wonder. Wonder built on the fact that I can finally say we are not alone in this universe. Hello my name is Charles Helmholtz of the newly founded World Space Organization the final hope of of the human race, for nuclear war has wiped out a majority of the human race. For now I do not want to bore you with my past, all I can say it has been a long, and bumpy ride throughout my 29 years of life, but it I should at least give you some back story to what has happened to Earth. The year is 2015, like most years it was a time for celebration, for it was my graduation from high school. In a sense all of my friends were there sitting by me, and cheer us on as we finally transition from our public school years to now secondary schooling. However, the celebration does not last long, for the military threat of ISIS has finally captured most of turkey and is now looking both east and westward towards Russia, and Europe. Political unrest in the European union and Russia, for the threat of an invasion could be on the horizon. I was only starting college and was surprised that the United States has done the unthinkable and brought back the draft. Finally in 2016 War breaks out, ISIS has attacked at full force at the European Union, as this happened most of my friends quickly got drafted into the army, thankfully because I was in college full time to become a doctor I was more exempt; however, I still joined as a medical doctor earlier because by that point we were running out of doctors in the European front of the war. In many cases I have seen the aftermath of battles. One guy has his leg cleanly blown off by a anti infantry mine to only die shortly after, friends were not exempt from the grind either. But like any soldier I still had to move on, to hope that one day this war would be over. By 2020 ISIS was crushed under the sheer amount of American, European, and Russian soldiers. As a result I was called home after four years away from my home country. By that time most of my old friends were killed from this long, drawn out war. When I returned I went back into college to finish getting qualified into my medical field as a radiologist. During this time peace has swept back across the lands. Until the unthinkable happened. In 2025 China starts nuclear war with America. This time aiming at our natural resources such as our oil production, and heavily populated cities. Thankfully, by that time I had moved from my small town in Washington to another small town in the rural Midwest. When the dust finally calmed down from the nuclear weapons launch of both China and America, almost over two to three billion people died in one press of a button and many more would die from radiation poisoning. By that time a new branch of the United Nations opened up. This being the World Space Organization, their mission now is to find a new Earth like world to call home before the human population drops more from radiation. Thankfully I was chosen to be launched into space because of my training in the once powerful Army that America had. But hey, this will be a new beginning for me. If I am lucky I can possibly call this new planet they are sending me to home, and possibly an ambassador for our race when we land. As of now I should possibly rest, so whoever is hearing this recording of my journey I wish you luck back on our planet, and I will hopefully see you later. > Prologue Two: Royal Beginnings > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prologue 2: royal beginnings They say being changeling is a death wish, and my Celestia it is true. My name is Praying Mantis, the excommunicated princess of the Chrysalis hive. I was born like most changelings, which was through the process of being an egg. An egg that hatched around the time of my sister’s egg who was Chrysalis. Skip to our third birthday our parents died on the way back from negotiations with the regal princess of equestria who was none other than Princess Celestia. If I remember correctly when the guard came back that night from the negotiations, he gave both of us the bad news. That’s when I saw something snap inside my sister’s head, that night when our parents died she had changed. Changed into a monster that wanted to seek the destruction of the pony race, to kill off as many ponies as she can before she dies and passes on the royal crown to the next generation of royal changelings. For me, it did not bother me that much, true they were our loving parents, but like usual it was just nothing to bother about, the pony who possibly did it only did it to take our money, or to try and start war between the two peaceful nations. Because I was 30 minutes younger than my sister, Chrysalis took the throne and appointed herself as queen and I as her advisor. And from that day on, my sister planned war. A great big bloody war that would inevitably lead to either the extinction of our race or theirs. For me I begged of her to change her mind, simply we could work this out with our neighbors and keep the peace between the two nations that have for centuries been at peace. For twenty years I begged and begged, but she would just never listen. I remember distinctly that on my twenty-second birthday she finally had enough of the constant begging that she demoted me from being an advisor to the lowest rank of spies on her royal court saying that “you run your mouth so much that a spy’s life would be better for you”. I could not believe it, she demoted her own blood sister to such a horrible rank in one of the most notorious spies we have. This had lasted almost 3 years. It was around the summer time and finally the princess of love was marrying her knight in shining armour, which was Princess Cadence and Shining Armour (oh the Irony, am I right ponies?). For me my job was simple, and that was infiltrate the royal guards, simple enough it was easy, all you had to really do was knock out a mare royal guard, change into that guard and before she wakes was to drag her to the crystal mines where she had no hope of ever escaping. I did it so well that I accidently killed her by dropping her around 2 kilometers down the shaft. I could not bare the fact I killed her, she was innocent just like me and yet I killed her in cold hard blood. I knew what I needed to do and that was to, and that was to play it off for the time being, after the wedding and the failed attack I will tell Celestia about the accident and she would hopefully forgive me, right? Well after the failed invasion of Canterlot and the first defeat of my war mongering sister, the ponies decided, in one big loud voice that it was time for war, a war that would finally bring the corrupted Chrysalis to justice for the un numbered deaths of her royal guards. I remember that day when I heard the cried for war, even though I was still disguised as the mare that I accidently killed, I did what I thought was responsible and went to talk with the regal princess of the sun, that being Princess Celestia. When I stepped into the room she looked at me with a confused face before asking “is there something wrong my guard?”, the only thing I said was yes before changing back into my former self as a changeling, in her face I saw disgust and hatred of what happened at her nephew’s wedding that she stood up and almost attacked me. But before she did, she calmed down not wanting blood all over the royal throne room and asked “why would a changeling show its face when your queen attacked Canterlot on the day of the royal wedding?”. I could not take it anymore and told her the whole story. The only thing Celestia did was sit and listened to what I said, on her face I saw shock when I told her that I was a princess of the hive before being thrown aside like some scrap of fabric. From this instead of sending me to the dungeons, she told me was “to get out towards ponyville and ask twilight if you can live there for the time being.”. I nodded and changed back into some random mare that never existed and changed my name to Starlight. And since then I now live in ponyville as an assistant to Mayor Mare and started what i can see as a small relationship with a stallion by the name of Caramel, I just hope he accepts me when he finds out that i am not virgin because most of my spy missions involved me sleeping with high ranking officials during the royal wedding preparations. But i digress, I know he loves me and I love him back so much. But to end on a high note it is nice meeting you guys and I hope you respect what I have gone through. > Chapter One: Dawn of the storm > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- One night, outside amongst the many sparkling and dazzling stars, princess twilight was star mapping the sky, her hopes where to find new and undiscovered stars that astronomists did not see. With a sigh she stopped looking through the telescope and rubbed her eyes, she looked to the clock to see it was around one o’clock in the morning. With a yawn she says “how uneventful, no new stars, nebulas or anything out of the ordinary tonight.” She closed her astronomical book by her side as she stretches while she says “well one last sector for tonight and then off to bed.” She then began to re-position the large telescope to the most western part of the star filled night. Tonight was weirdly enough quiet even though that somewhere west of the night sky is filled with the sound of metal against metal, the groans and moans of pain that strip soldiers from their sleep and their innocents, to also hear the loud crack of what would sound like thunder but is just the cannons loaded to the brim with grape shot and artillery shots. As she looked, however, she saw what looked like to be a really faint star that is not shown in most astronomical books or papers. Her heart jumped at the thought of a new star, but suddenly she began to see that the star was actually drifting through the night sky, and not only that it was heading straight for Equestria! With this sudden revelation she quickly yells “Spike!” From the yell she heard a loud thump on the floor from the sleeping dragon before he gave a loud a yawn. After the yawn, the young dragon in a whiny voice said “Twilight!! Its one in the morning, what’s the problem.” Twilight without looking at him said “spike this is really important! there could be a meteoroid on its way to Equstria! if we do not act now it might crash into us and cause unimaginable damage.” The young drake sighed from his just awoken state where he tiredly says “alright, guess you need me to send a letter to princess celestia?” The only response from the new princess was a nod before a long, drawn out yawn filled her mouth “yes spike I want you to take a letter, Princess Celestia trusts me and my judgement.” Like usual spike nods and somehow takes out a piece a paper and a quill from thin air and waits for twilight to give him the dictation to write on the paper. which twilight only gives a slight cough to clear her throat before saying “ dear princess celestia, I am terribly sorry for waking you in your sleep, but a major problem that might threaten Equstria is on its way, and that is a meteoroid that looks like it could collide with my predictions into the war zone just west of Ponyvile, please send me your regards on the problem. Your friend, Twilight.” When the young drake finished, he wrapped the paper into a scroll and sent the letter to celestia via his green flame, which now Spike looks up to Twilight with tired eyes and said again in a whiny voice “now can i please go back to bed?” Twilight only giggled and nods which she says “sure spike, go back to bed, I know how hard you worked today my number one assistant.” Spike only gave a nod before going back to his bed and lays back down to sleep. Twilight at that point looks to the clock to now see it was 2:30 as her eyes widen, knowing she was going to have to wake up at 8:00 in the morning to go to the battlefield to meet up with the generals of the royal guards to plan an offensive to hopefully retake part of the land that has fallen under the changeling war machine. She only sighed as she rubbed her eyes and crawled into her bed which had books stacked everywhere on her bed giving the impression that she is being cuddled to sleep by books as she said before falling into a peaceful sleep “I wish this war would end soon.” it fades to black as it then goes back up to the vast nothingness of space, where Helmholtz's ship, where he is staring over the estimated time of arrival to the planet which is about to clock down to 6 days, on the table was a can of carbonated soda, where he takes a sip and slowly says “soon…. soon I will see if this planet is inhabited or uninhabited but until then I wait, and pray that if it is inhabited that they do not kill me instantly.” He then stands up and walks off to his bed where he lays in bed unrestful for what is to come and how he will handle it. > Chapter Two: Contact > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter two: Contact. Soon the one week is over, the meteorite like spaceship is now close to landing. The later newspaper articles say the meteor will hit sometime between afternoon or one o’clock in the afternoon.Most ponies who are citizens that are close to the battlefield have been moved now closer to Ponyville to limit the civilian deaths from this meteor. Around twelve thirty in the afternoon, with the sound of metal swords hitting other swords still rang out even though of the risk of the meteor hitting them, their honor only to keep battling even though the meteor will kill them all. Knowing if they even think of retreating they would be giving the changelings the opportunity which will lead them closer to the doors of canterlot. soon a loud crack is heard throughout the battlefield, it was close to the royal guards artillery field on the far west section on the battlefield. Some of the officers of the guards has then come to see what has landed. One of those officers was Shining Armour, who is the brother of the new princess Twilight and the husband of princess cadence. he had already ordered a cease fire of artillery for now, for him he stared at the now cooling, what he thought meteor. He looks to his old friend, who has been part of his unit for almost 4 years now. The now Sargent Flash sentry stares at the cooling meteor looking rocket. Shining looked to his friend with a frown, looking confused at the orange stallion, he says “Sargent Flash, get your flank back to the battlefield! We need all ranks fighting.” Flash only responds with a salute before saying “then sir why are you in the western fields?” “Because I was ordered here by princess Celestia, now get your flank back to battle soldier!” “wait is that the meteor? Shouldn’t we all be dead sir?!” “Oh for the love of celestia soldier it could have slowed down and spared us so now just go back to your ranks sergeant!” The orange stallion froze before he reached into the saddlebag on his back and retrieved a letter with a sigh, the stamp on the letter seemed to be from the other captain “the surviving captain of Celestial division 2 has requested heavy artillery near the bulge of the changeling swarm sir.” shining took the letter and read it quickly read it, he says softly under his voice “why did he not come and deliver this to me?” Flash only responded quickly “he gave it to me to give to high captain sir, he was hit by a changeling elite bow stallion sir, he died before he can reach you sir.” shining only sighs and closes the letter “artillery accepted, return to your battalion to pull back so we can start with light bombing pegasi before going to our artillery, understand soldier?” Flash only responds with a nod and another salute before leaving to join his brothers in arms. Inside the cooling spaceship, Helmholtz has been preparing to leave the space ship. A small counter on the left that says how long he has to wait until the vessel is cool enough to open the doors reads somewhere between 45 more minutes. During this time he began his ‘suit up’ stage, where he is wearing what seemed to be an advanced new lightweight space suit. On this new space suit is multiple readers for signs of cosmic radiation and other known things out in space that are known to kill organisms. When one of these are triggered it instantaneously by emitting an invisible force field to block out whatever is causing the problem. With that he also held with him a flag of both the United States and the World Space Organization. In his new space suit he had the leading innovation in his pocket and that was a lightweight, gun sized (on scale with the Walther PPK) multi useable gun, with this gun he has 3 clips of different types of special ammunition plus another three which are full metal jacketed bullets. What makes the ammo special is that it has multiple effects on living organisms bodies, in case is that one can paralyze an enemy for a short period of time, another type of bullet has a pressure sensitive type round in which it hits a wall it creates a big enough explosion to make a hole to walk through, those were mostly given to him to defend from other possible threats in space.the last clip of special ammo, however are more useful that of which is one round which can eat through solid metal using a type plasma to instantly melt through the metal of almost anything. Once finished getting ready he had around 10 minutes when he heard the beginning shots of what seemed to be artillery “huh, weird” he thought aloud to himself “if I am not mistaken that sounds like heavy guns.” He kept listening to the sound, before he began to chuckle at the idea, for he thought it was funny “oh what am I kidding life takes almost thousands of years to perfect weaponry, all I know is it could be just big gusts of wind blowing over whatever type of plants they have on this planet.” The sounds kept coming and going without end, until the door to his space ship opens up to show the dissonance of the battlefield where fresh soil has been picked up by the blasts of the large caliber cannons. When he heard the sound of the explosions approaching at a more rapid rate, he had little reaction time before he quickly jumped out of the small meteor like space ship and ran as fast as he can due south into the line of the royal guards. Once he met up with the front lines from his running the only sound behind him was the sound of metal meeting metal in which a huge explosion came from the once rocket ship. When he heard that he turned around with a few guards who had heard the ruckus from the now flaming wreckage of the ship. Once the flames died down, shining Armour turned around to see the ape like shadow from far away and fading fast into the wooded area, with this surprise he looked at the entrance of where the mysterious entity entered the woods. When the guards saw him staring at the entrance of the woods, the guard on the left of shining said “sir, why are you staring at the entrance of the Ever free?” In response to the question, shining without thinking of words said “must be my imagination, but I saw some type of shadow, not like a pony shadow but a shadow of what seemed to be a large ape, which should be impossible for the size.” He was having difficulty of what he saw until the guard on the right said “ what are your orders sir?” Shining took a deep breath to collect his thoughts, when he did he said “get a small squad of 10 ponies and search for this thing, I want he, she, or it alive. Understand me guards?” With that the only response from the two guards was the typical “yes sir!” Before they rushed to the the tented barracks to find willing guards to go into one of the most dangerous woods known to ponykind. In which if anypony did enter the forest alone without any knowledge of the surroundings would mostly be dead before night fall. With this bit of knowledge known to shining he sighs as he looks out towards the battlefield, trying to keep his mind off the fact he will be sending some of his stallions into the dreaded woods. Soon the silence was broken with shining saying out towards the war front “Whatever you are, whoever you are. I hope you can help.” Soon fades towards the Ever Free where Helmholtz has started a small survival shelter and a small fire with the plasma rounds, was laying out the only food he took with him from the ship which was a canister of dried fruits and a small compressed foam soda, with that he packed a dessert of freeze dried ice cream. He looks to this meal as he softly sighed “damn, why did i choose to land in a literal war zone?! I knew I should've chosen what looked to be flat land somewhere else.” He silently thinks to himself before saying with a yawn “well on bright side I have enough plasma ammunition to make fires for 9 more days. Instead of going to shelter he saw the skies were clear so he decided to go to sleep, unbeknownst the 10 guard search team will soon find him.