//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Wake Up Call // Story: Of Guns, Mechs And Magic [Being rewritten in 'A Pilot's Search'] // by Solarus44 //------------------------------// 'COME ON PILOT! WE NEED YOU!' Sarah Briggs' voice rang through his head. Sol instantly sprang out of bed, standing straight and saluting. Once he saw that he was in the stone room, he sighed. "Beck?" Sol looked around the room, "Please tell me that was you." 'What?' Beck replied innocently, 'Little ole me?' "You are anything but little," Sol mumbled as he put his guns back on his suit. His Smart Pistol in a holster on his left, Wingman in a holster on his right, and the R-201 on his back. "Where did they take you anyway?" Sol asked as he inspected his Data Knife. 'In a cave large enough to hold me, not too far from the throne room.' "Ok, I'll see you soon, heading to meet with the Queen." 'Stay safe.' Nodding, even though Beck couldn't see it, Sol walked out the door and asked his guard to take him to the Queen. As he walked, Sol couldn't help but admire at the architecture. How they built an entire city underground from the stone baffled him, especially since they didn't have even 21st century equipment. It was like it was made with magic. 'Imagine that, a race that could use magic,' Sol though as he looked at his guard, 'I think I've watched too much of those old Lord Of The Rings movies... Eh, better than that trash we have now.' When they walked into the throne room, Sol saw Chrysalis holding a young Changeling, with her horn glowing as the young one's smile got bigger and bigger. "Now run back to your nurse, ok?" Chrysalis had a smile on her face as she put it down. "Yes Queen Chrysalis," The little one said in an adorable voice as it ran down the hall. As Chrysalis looked at the young one running with a skip in its feet, her eyes gradually became sadder. Deciding to snap her out of this and to prevent her from becoming even sadder, Sol decided to draw her attention. "So what was that about?" Sol walked towards the throne. "Just feeding that one some love." Chrysalis instantly turned her head towards him, none of the sadness left in her eyes. "Feeding love?" Sol was confused. "Ah yes, I almost forgot," Chrysalis levitated a stack of books from behind her chair, "In here we have all the history on Equestria and its surrounding nations, as we-," "What did you just do!?" Sol pointed at the stack of books floating in the air. "Oh, you do not have magic where you come from?" Sol shook his head, eyes still wide, "Well here on Equis, magic makes up everything, with it affecting all races, but only a few species are able to bend it to their will." "Magic..." Sol whispered, "Well thank you for the books, but can we talk like we said we would earlier?" "Of course," Chrysalis levitated two pillows over to them. "So where am I exactly?" Sol asked as he sat on the pillow. "You are in the last Changeling city left, with only a couple thousand of us remaining. The city is located in the Badlands, South of Equestria. And now for my question, if you are obviously not from Equis, where are you from? "Well my home planet is Earth, in the landmass that is known as Australia, one of the few places left that has any nature, although that's probably gone by now. I currently pretty much live on the starship MCS Vulcan, fighting for the future of the Frontier." "So your species is capable of space travel?" Sol nodded, "And you said you were fighting for 'the future of the Frontier', is your species at war with another?" "War? Yes. With another? No, you are the first intelligent life forms any human has made contact with." "Who are you at war with then?" "After inventing slipspace technology, Hammond Robotics discovered a collection of star systems we now call, The Frontier. Hammond Robotics sent the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation to investigate. They settled all over the Frontier, but when they got called back to the Core Systems to help with a war, they left the settlers that were already in the Frontier. When they returned, they found that the settlers had, true to their name, SETTLED. They had their own government and everything. Then the IMC decided to invade the Frontier, since they needed the resources it provided for increasing demand back in the Core. The people revolted, forming the Frontier Militia. We have been fighting ever since." With that last part, Sol looked at the floor, part in sadness, but also in shame that he was here while his brothers and sisters in arms were out there fighting. "Well that is... startling," Chrysalis said in shock, "There have only ever been a few wars in Equis' history, and that was with other species. But, why do YOU fight?" "Years ago, when I was a small child, my family moved to the Frontier, I grew up on the planet Harmony. When I turned 20, the IMC invaded, I am now 25. My older sister left home to fight the IMC, I fought she was a fool, it was obvious the IMC were going to win. But the Militia held them at bay, and one day, we received her Pilot helmet," Sol was getting tears in his eyes, "It made me realise, the longer this war continues, how many families are going to get their sister's helmet? Their brother's? Their father's? Mother's! Uncle's! Auntie's!" By this point, Sol was yelling. "I joined the Militia to free the Frontier, to continue in my sisters footsteps, to prevent the IMC from polluting and destroying our homes! To end their tyranny! And I will not stop fighting until I am dead or the IMC is gone!" Sol calmed down and started to breath heavily, "Or, until I'm stranded on a planet with no way off." Sol was sobbing, crying, with all the memories of his sister rushing back to him. Sol felt a hand, sorry, hoof, on his shoulder, Sol looked up to see Chrysalis with tears in her eyes too. "I too know what it feels like to fight for your people, to fight for a better tomorrow, to fight to ensure the survival of even one of them. It is what I've been doing for 1,000 years. Fighting for my Changelings, fighting to keep them safe from the Sun." "What, do you mean?" Sol asked through his sobs. "I mean-." Suddenly a changeling burst through the doors. "The Solar Knights are here! The Solar Knights are here!"