//------------------------------//
// First Contact 
// Story: An Archon's Folly 
// by TyphlUpgrade 
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         Fire. Everything was burning.
      
         Not a single piece of land was spared from Tirek's fury. And it was all Twilight's fault. It was her fault for not having the foresight to prepare for such a contingency. It was her fault for not being brave enough to save her friends. It was all her fault...and it had cost her the world.
         She sank to the ground, weeping in sorrow. Tirek stood in front of her, relishing the pain she felt. He had all the time in the world, as the most powerful being on the planet.

         “Poor Twilight, her friends have all left without her. You'll join them soon. Then you will have nothing to worry about…nothing at all...”

         The apocalypse started two weeks ago. Tirek managed to escape by absorbing the magic of Tartarus to become powerful enough to escape. The main reason he did not do this before was due to the massive risk he took by absorbing it. A prison for evil it may be, but the demonic nature of its inhabitants coursed through the leylines of the prison dimension. After he took the magic it let all the inmates of the prison roam freely due to the prison’s inability to keep them guarded without power. Tirek, along with the numerous other demons wreaked havoc on the world, diminishing bustling cities, rife with life, to rubble. Twilight managed to escape the massacre, but her friends weren't so lucky. Eventually even the demons fell to Tirek, and he literally held almost all the magic in the world. Only a certain alicorn’s magic wasn't his.
         It would all be over soon. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, Spike, she would join them in a few seconds. Tirek raised his hoof. Then everything went black. The world around her shattered.
         Twilight awoke in a cold sweat, shrieking in terror, expecting the sweet release of death but instead finding the inside of her castle greeting her. Even a year after Tirek threatened all of Equestria, and the thought still haunted her. She shuddered quietly. She knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, not after what she had just witnessed. A part of her brain said “That wasn't real, mare. Nightmares are nightmares, and you're just going to have to deal.” The emotions she had felt, the tears shed for figments of her imagination refused to go away, however. All she could see was Equestria looking as desolate as the Badlands. For a long time, Twilight just lay there, in her bed, until she eventually drifted into a dreamless slumber.
         The next morning, Twilight had forgotten about the nightmare. Gone for now, but the dream would come back eventually. Tirek’s attack had given her anxiety for weeks, and the lingering effects still festered like open wounds, infected with despair. She heard Spike calling her down for breakfast. “Coming, Spike!” She replied cheerfully. Yep, today was a great day, and nothing was going to slow her down. Just another Sunday morning in her, quiet, little town of Ponyville. When she arrived at the spacious dining room, Spike had prepared a platter of apple fritters. Yum. 
         The rest of the day passed uneventfully, until after Twilight had finished helping Rainbow Dash clean up another crash zone.
         “And so Scootaloo ran into Apple Bloom, and they fell into the lake!” Spike retold.
         “Are they okay?”
         “Yeah, but they have some nasty bruises However, I've seen-”
         Mid-sentence, Spike was cut off by a green plume of fire originating from his mouth. The fire swirled and twisted, until it shifted into smoke, which in turn solidified into a scroll, tied with a red ribbon and emblazoned with a golden seal with a horseshoe carved into it.
         “A scroll from Celestia?” Twilight inquired.
         She remembered the last time she received mail from Celestia, it was a book labelled “Theories of Dimensional Transfer”, that Celestia thought Twilight might like. However, she usually only sent her postage when it was early in the day, when Celestia had more time to do more personal things. So a letter this late, Twilight reasoned, must have some degree of importance. Using her magic, she opened the letter. It read;
          
          Dearest Twilight, my faithful student,
I must inform you of a possible emergency at the Crystal Empire. There has been a report of Tirek being seen there, this being confirmed by multiple eyewitnesses. I am asking you and your friends to stay at the Crystal Empire for now, in order to defend the Empire from Tirek should he unleash an assault. The Elements of Harmony will be there when you arrive. Your brother will give you the information they know so far. I have my absolute faith in you. 

         Stay safe,
                   Celestia

         A day later, and Twilight and her friends were aboard the train heading to the Crystal Empire. Twilight had briefed them about the situation, and of course they agreed.
         “I can't believe Tirek has the nerve to show his flank around these parts again! He should know we’ll just beat him again!” Rainbow yelled.
         “Well, sugarcube, he probably thinks he’s got a chance! But Ah’ know he for sure don't!”
          As the two exchanged their confidences in the level of screwed Tirek was, Twilight stared out the window and thought of how Tirek might have escaped. Tartarus was the most high security prison in the entire world, and after his first prison break it was highly unlikely he would escape again. After his little escapade, his cell must be guarded even more. So how? As she pondered, she noticed a flash of red in the snow just before the train rumbled past.
         A few seconds later, the train stopped rumbling, and started crashing. The train derailed, and the cars bounded and spun as they came to a gut wrenching halt. Dazed, the young alicorn stood up from her position on the floor and looked around. The previously undamaged car was now completely demolished. Seats littered the floor, dented in many places, and an area of the ceiling was on fire from a broken lamp. As her friends started to regain their footing, miraculously unharmed, a scream echoed through the train. A moment later, a biped with metallic peg legs, red black armor, and a mask over its mouth, presumably for breathing, opened the car door, and muttered something unintelligible then took out a...potato? A spiked potato. For some reason it  had a handle as well. It's purpose was revealed when the potato emitted a red flash of light, sending bolts of energy coiling through the air, hissing as they just narrowly missed Fluttershy, instead hitting the wall, scorching it black. Twilight rolled this over in her head. What was this mysterious creature doing? Attacking them? Why? Was it because the train crashed? Was it the one who crashed the train? What purpose did that hold? As she pondered the circumstances, Rainbow Dash stood in a defensive position over Fluttershy.
         “You wanna fight, peg legs? Bring it on! You won't hurt Flutters!” Rainbow challenged the peg legged creature.
         The creature seemed to oblige, as it brought out two knives arcing with electricity, and lunged at the bold pegasus. Rainbow sidestepped out of the way, and delivered a buck straight in the creature’s side. The peg legged creature growled in annoyance and slashed the air blindly, as Rainbow circled him, lashing out at random times. One final hit, and it was knocked out stone cold. Upon closer inspection, Twilight found that whatever it was, it wasn't from Equestria or any of the surrounding nations. It was almost...otherworldly. An alien? The possibility was unlikely, but was the only reasonable theory at this point. If she made it out alive, Twilight put it on her mental checklist to find the origin of these odd bipeds.
         A second or so later it was Rainbow who was knocked out. Another alien had materialized seemingly from thin air. This one had four arms, two of which were mechanized, and held a cube-like weapon, with spiked ends. It was clear what the purpose of this mysterious device was, not minding the strange design. It was a machine of war. It hit Rainbow on the head with the butt of its weapon, then fired the weapon at Applejack. A burst of literal fire sent the country gal flying across the car, landing against the door in an uncomfortable fashion, a gash on her side dribbling blood slowly. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were herded to the back of the room. The four-armed one wasn't messing around, and its four red eyes glowed with malice. Twilight felt a burst of rage course through her veins. How dare this…BEAST treat her and her friends like this? She wouldn't tolerate this. “Leave my friends ALONE!”  Twilight’s horn gleamed at she wove together the most complex defensive spell she knew. It leapt at the four-armed alien with the speed of a striking cobra, blackening its side badly. It stumbled, then collapsed in an undignified fashion.
         Twilight shook. She stepped forward to deal a finishing blow...but was stopped by yellow hooves holding her back.
          “Please...Twilight…stop…” Fluttershy held her vengeful friend back with shaking hooves, occasionally letting out a weak sob.
          Twilight resisted for a second, but realized how she looked in the eyes of her friends. Probably quite terrifying. She exhaled quietly. “This is getting to my head…” Twilight muttered to herself. “Darling, relax. I'm just as shaken as you, but we have to be prepared if any more of those ruffians attack us.” Rarity reasoned, fidgeting nervously with her tail.
          Their discussion was cut short by a shriek of anger from the fallen four-armed alien. It stood unsteadily, then screamed in rage. A red glow of anger radiated from it, and it lunged at the frightened ponies. They may have been the Elements of Harmony, but the Eliksni had the element of surprise on its side. It bowled them over, knocking all of them out. Underneath its mask, a facial expression that passed for a grin placed itself on his mouth. The Machine God would be pleased to find such an offering. Normally, the Ascended One accepted only offerings of contained SIVA, but he was sure an exception could be made for these...what were they called again? Ponies? Yes, that was it. They were tough for such flimsy looking creatures, and the Archon would be pleased to continue the work of Kovik. His experiments were gruesome, and the wails of the eviscerated Hive gave him nightmares, even after Kovik was slain by a trio of Guardians. Still, the results were undeniable.
         “Keksis! Help me take these ponies back to base! They promise a fine reward for us.” 
         “Ponies? For such strong creatures, ‘ponies’ is a rather weak name, Revik.” Keksis, the Dreg who took the first strike at the “ponies” had just awoken, but his head hurt a great deal. Whatever they were, they packed a punch. “Don’t mind it. Either way, whatever the names, our reward shall be great. The Ascended One shall be pleased to have test subjects. Now help me carry these beasts back to base.” Revik explained, as he lifted Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy onto his back. Keksis sighed, then lifted a fallen seat from the ground and dogpiled Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash on top of the poor, abused seat. The seat felt quite displeased at the current situation, but as an inanimate object, the chair could, unfortunately, do nothing. The two Eliksni partners took the ponies, and walked out into the snow, discussing the certainly handsome reward they would receive.

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         The two arrived about an hour later at an inconspicuous cave. The cold would have probably killed them by now, if not for the SIVA implantations acting as an advanced inner temperature control. The ponies were still knocked out. They walked in, hauling in their finest salvage yet. The cave itself was nothing special, but just out of the light’s reach SIVA covered the walls in thick red cables. Black cubes appeared sporadically along the wires, some with crimson tentacles peeking out of the cracks. Near the end of the nightmarish tunnel, to the right stood a door formed in the shape of a diamond. The middle of the door shone with artificial light, and opened highly untraditionally. The door’s four sections retracted into the wall, and Revik and Keksis strode proudly into the new and improved Eliksni base. The SIVA had created a base entirely different then the bases on Earth. Instead of an angular, artificial feeling space, it had transformed the room into an area befit for a Kell, by request of Aksis. SIVA columns rose up to the ceiling, where they split into an entrancing web. The translucent floor revealed a pool of water surrounded by stalactites. Currently the main foyer was empty. The pairing strode confidently through a door in the middle of the room, walking through a sequence of rooms purposefully before, finally, they had reached their destination. The throne room. The place had been modelled to resemble the Perfection Complex back on Earth. The “throne” was a mount on the back of the room, where Aksis hung from the ceiling. His leg mount rested below him, so whenever he had to mobilize again, all he had to do was drop down. The center of the room prominently featured a podium, presumably for offerings. Revik stepped forth, with Keksis trailing behind him closely. 
         “Oh Aksis, Wrath of the Machine, Ascended One, I present to you six of the “ponies” found on this world as offering, so that you may study their powers to use as your own.”
Revik placed the ponies down lightly in front of Aksis, then motioned for Keksis to do the same. Once the offerings were placed, they stepped back.
         Aksis made his judgement. “Well done. This will surely aid in our escape from this planet. The Grafters will reward you. Go to them, and the treasure shall be yours.” With reverent glee, the two ran out of the room. The archon shifted his attention to the colourful ponies lying sprawled on the ground in front of him. What weapons could be made from them, it was unknown. But their secrets would be cracked.


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         Tirek’s hoof came down. Twilight braced for the release of death, the greeting of her friends faces once again…
         Twilight’s eyes snapped open. The same dream. Again. Every night she had that same nightmare, the very same one. It unsettled her. Maybe when they reached the Crystal Empire, Cadence could help… wait. This wasn't the train. That realization slowly dawned on her that it wasn't even anywhere she recognized. A jolt of panic surged through her, and she went into a pacing fit...except for the fact that she was pinned to the ground. Her hooves were stuck in place by a red substance that felt oddly metallic. Looking around, she saw her friends in similar predicaments. They all stood on platforms of glass, complex machinery underneath toiling away. The sound of footsteps alerted her to what might be the most horrifying creature she had ever witnessed. It was like something out of science fiction. 
         Twilight had just seen Aksis for the first time. It wouldn't be the last. As we all know, Aksis is not your average looking Fallen. In fact, he was barely Fallen at all anymore, what with the SIVA and the Ascension… but that's not the point. The point is, if you were a pony, who had never witnessed such an abomination, you would be pretty freaked out too. 
         As the amalgamation stepped closer and closer to her, she attempted to play dead. When it was right on top of her, she stopped breathing entirely. If it took out a weapon of any kind, she would teleport away. It wasn’t the best plan, but with panic in her veins and time ticking away, it was the best plan she could come up with. 
         
         A click. The sound of mechanized whirring filled the air, and ever so subtly, she looked back. The hand of the creature had rotated out, replaced by a vibrating scalpel, small by its standards, but massive for Twilight's. She started preparing her teleportation spell…

         Aksis was ready to start experimenting. He had a list of tests prepared to execute upon the ponies, and they would help determine what they could do. The decided starting point would be the purple, winged pony who had a horn. Revik reported that it had shown signs of sentience, in addition to appearing to be the alpha, judging by the extra appendages. As he approached it, its eyes widened slightly, and it went limp. Aksis caught this. The perfect reflexes of a machine missed nothing. He decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to test for intelligence, and what the ponies did in dangerous situations. He walked up to it, and took out his scalpel. It buzzed as the scalpel started vibrating at indiscernible speeds. The vibrations helped with the cutting of flesh. Hive chitin was always unusually tough. He stood over the helpless pony, waiting for its reaction. Its horn started to shine in the color of magenta, which subsequently enveloped its entire body with the same soft glow. A second later, and the glow imploded with a soft crack. The pony was no longer present.  

         Teleportation? Odd. The pony showed no sign of any great technological prowess, or indeed any type of technology at all, so logically it must have teleported by other means, Aksis deduced. Sorcery, perhaps? He had seen the Great Machine’s beasts teleport, but only within short distances of about ten feet. Therefore the pony couldn't have travelled far. He looked around the room. There. Behind that pillar. Aksis wouldn't kill it. Not yet anyways. This one would most likely give the most interesting data, and the horn seemed to have the ability to induce short distance teleportation. Fascinating. He walked over to the hiding spot of the small creature. There it was, curled in a fetal position, trembling, eyes welded shut.
         “What a stupid creature. Closing your eyes doesn't change where you stand. These “ponies” have very little intelligence.” Aksis commented dryly.

         Twilight didn't want anymore to do with this. The alien was playing with her, she could tell. Behind the pillar, a tear rolled down her face. That was happening a lot recently, but only in her dreams, never in reality. The clacking of the monster’s footsteps drew near. She waited for her doom. What seemed like hours passed, until the monster stood above her once again. Teleporting again wouldn't help. The room was too small, and she was too tired to perform a long distance teleport. The creature muttered something in a disdainful tone. The words were in a language she didn't understand. But...maybe...if she cast a translation spell she could reason with the alien...it was her only chance. Her only chance to save her friends. The difference between success and failure. She prepared the spell.