The Cybermares!
*Sometime later…*
BZZT
Immediately, a humanoid and equine figure appeared on a hilltop. The humanoid, upon opening his eyes again, looked down towards the equine in front of him, and removed his hand from her head, as well as lowering his two fingers down beside his body.
Staring back at him, she smiled, which was followed-up by him smiling back at her.
However, while they were smiling at each other, their head soon snapped towards the side. Their attention, abruptly stolen away by a loud stomping sound in the distance, and raised voices.
Narrowing her eyes, she trotted over towards the trees in their way. Kami, standing motionless as he watched her approach the trees.
As soon as she pulled the branches out of the way and saw what lay beyond the trees, her eyes widened in horror, and she froze in place. Shocked by what she saw.
“Hey, what are you see-…Oh!” he softly uttered as he walked up towards her and pulled the branch aside. His eyes widening in shock at the sight greeting him.
Down on the fields, where a new village was in the process of being constructed, an army of equines in armor was marching into the village.
Their heads snapped up as they heard something moving across the sky.
“Oh, come on!” she groaned. Staring up into the sky, as she saw more of those armored equines flying through the air.
Flames coming out the bottom of their hooves, which must’ve been how they were flying in the air.
However, unlike all the others that were flying beside it, one of the silver equines’ handle bars were black. Signifying it had some sort of rank above the others.
Looking up into the sky, she just continued to glare at them…however, Kami was shocked, downright horrified at seeing them. His eyes wide with fear as he shook his head. “No, it cannot be…”
Slowly backing away into the darkness, he turned around and slowly started to walk away. His head hung low and jaw quivering.
“They were destroyed! H-how can they have survived?!” he said softly. Fear starting to settle in with him!
Hearing more of them flying overhead, his head snapped up, gasping loudly!
Continuing to look back out through the opening, she watched hundreds more silver equines pass over them. All fifty of them flying towards a huge mountain in the distance.
“It seems that they’re heading for that mountain, there. Should we follow them?” she asked, only to receive no reply from him.
“Kami?”
Turning her head, she looked directly at him. However, at seeing his face, she saw that he was scared, very scared.
“Kami…do you know who they are?” All she received was a nod from him.
Looking up from the ground, he stared back at her with a frightened expression.
“They are Cybermares,”
Terror prevalent in his voice as he said the name.
“…equines from another world. Equines whose scientists had concluded that the only way for them to survive was to upgrade their bodies with spare parts…at least, that’s what we were told while we fought them,” he chuckled softly. Hanging his head as he looked down at the ground for a moment.
Looking back up as his humored expression changed into a frown. “And now, they’ve returned. Fighting for the galactic Emperor, himself,” he then turned his head, looking back at her with a sad frown, “…and your sister.”
Nervous, Celestia gulped. Dread coming over her.
“And what are they going to do with my ponies? Enslave them?” she asked.
“No, they’re going to convert them into more Cybermares. Take away everything that makes one unique, and put them into a cyber-suit and force them to convert others into more and more Cybermares. An endless circle.” His eyes wide with fear at every word he said. His face’ expression conveying the fear he felt at finding out that the Cybermares had (apparently) survived...
As they were talking, a figure hovering in mid-air, close to the forest, stopped and turned its head. Its black eyes staring directly towards a particular spot. Its vision being enhanced…
Giving him a suspicious look, she raised a brow at him. “So, you were there then? When these…Cybermares were defeated, I take it?” He just nodded in response.
“I was,” he replied. Hanging his head as he exhaled a heavy sigh before shortly looking back up towards the hole she was looking out through.
“I was one of eight commanders who’d taken up arms the Cybermare threat. They were relentless on every sector that opposed them, but they were especially ruthless towards me and those who followed me. Since none of us were equines, whom were the only lifeforms they could convert, they didn’t hesitate to wipe out everyone within my unit.” Holding back the tears, he hung his head. Looking down at the ground as he suppressed his anger. Grabbing his hand hard.
“I only survived cause everyone else died…left aimlessly drifting through space as my ship finally malfunctioned from the damage it had sustained, unsure of how the war ended, whether everyone I’ve ever known was just another blank face in their ranks…” raising his head, he looked back up at her, “but I guess we won, because I never saw another Cybermare for the rest of my life,” he said.
“We won the war, but I lost the battle.” Looking back out the window, he stared at the legions of Cybermares flying across the sky.
Turning her head, she looked out the hole too. A sad frown on her face as she saw all those Cybermares fly towards the mountain in the distance.
Narrowing her eyes, angrily, she stomped her hoof in the ground. His head, immediately, snapping up towards her.
“Tell me, Kami,” slowly turning her head, she looked back at him with a sly smile, “how do we stop them?” Her courage surprising him.
“But there’s no way that we can-“
“Yes, yes, yes! ‘’-that we can stop them’’,” she interrupted. Soon, looking him straight in the eyes. “I don’t care about whether it’s possible or not. If my ponies are threatened, then I will gladly sacrifice my own life to save theirs…and not even you can stop me!” she said, flying up to him and tapping his chest.
“If you’re afraid of fighting them, then leave, but I’m going to put my life on the line for the ones that have placed their faith in me.” Her eyes staring directly into his for a couple minutes, before she turned away from him and flew back down to the ground. Planting her hooves on the grass as she trotted towards the clearing.
Hanging his head, he looked down at the ground in contemplation. Shocked by her resolve, lack of selfishness, and the determination to go out there and try her best, even after being just told that she would be sacrificing her own life to keep everyone else safe. It reminded him of someone that he thought he had long-since buried in his memories. A single name.
Raising his head, he looked back up towards her, staring at her with a shocked look on his face.
“You really do remind me of him, don’t you?”
Immediately, she froze in her tracks. Looking out in front of her for a couple seconds, before turning around and looking back at him.
“Who, who do I remind you of?”
The shocked look on his face soon giving way to a happy smile. Staring back at her with an uplifted smile.
“The Medic, one of my oldest friends during the Cyber-War, and survivor from the Last Great Time War,” he said. “His reputation being so well-known amongst the Cybermares, that he was once able to foil an entire invasion by claiming that he had devised a virus that would attack the Cyber-suits, and that he was threatening to unleash it on anyone that attempted to set foot on the planet…” he explained.
“and yet, for all that he accomplished during the war, all his suffering, the only times I ever saw him smile was not when a Cyber-ship was destroyed, nor a legion of Cybermares obliterated…but when he looked into a child’s eyes and saw hope, hope during such dark times for the future…that one day the war would finally end…” he said, gently raising his hand and tapping his chest, “and that inspired him more than any speech, any flag, or even the bodies of his fallen friends and enemies ever could, for he knew that his purpose was not to destroy…but preserve life. No matter how hard it was to see his friends die on another battlefield, he always kept going, cause he knew that thousands would join them if he ever gave in, even for one second…”
Extending his finger, he pointed right at her. “That, is why I see so much of him in you. You don’t care about whether your own life survives…as long as there’s do.” Raising his hand, he pointed out towards the village, which a legion of Cybermares were currently marching into.
“You remind me of the Medic, not because of how powerful you are, but because you’re willing to sacrifice yourself to save them all…and what is a national ruler but a protector of ones’ people?”
As soon as he finished talking, a silence fell over them. Him, smiling as he looked into her eyes.
Gently stepping forward, he silently approached her.
“I never quite understood why I survived either war…but after hearing about your determination, I think I finally understand why. You may not be the same warrior I fought alongside, all those years ago, but I swear, if you will die fighting by my side, then I will fall by yours.”
An encouraging smile spread across his face as he extended his hand. Holding it out for her to shake.
Standing motionless for a couple minutes, she just stared back at his hand.
Directing her gaze back up at him, she smiled and extended her hoof, taking his hand.
“Was it even necessary of you to ask?” Chuckling back, he shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, what do you say? You want to go and save the world?”
“Me? Are you going to get all scared and nervous on me again?” she asked back, raising a brow at him.
Chuckling back, he let his arm hang beside his body as he walked past her towards the clearing.
“Just watch me, Princess!” he said with a wide smile, before stepping out into the sunlight.
As he stepped out from behind the trees, his smile immediately disappeared, replaced by a shocked frown!
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked, trotting up beside him.
However, facing her, causing her to freeze in place upon seeing them was a legion of Cybermares that surrounded the hilltop. All of them staring back at her and Kami with blank stares.
Standing in front of them was not just Cybermares on the ground, but also in the skies, many of which aimed their hoof mounted arm-cannons down towards herself and him.
Ascending from the sky, planting its hooves on the ground, the Cybermare with the black handlebars approached the her and Kami.
“You are Princess Celestia,” the Cyber-Leader proclaimed.
Its voice was highly cybernetic, with barely any hint to whether the pony within the suit was male or female, which just served to make Celestia glare angrily at it. Nodding her head in reply.
“I am.”
“Then you are our prisoner. You will be brought before the Controller.”
Raising its head, the Cyber-Leader looked up at Kami, staring blankly at him while scanning him, but was unable to identify what species he belonged to.
“You are an unknown element”
“Precisely, which means I’m just as important as she is,” he said, staring directly into the Cyber-Leader’s eyes.
“Take both of us to your leader,” he said putting his arms behind his back. Celestia’s head snapping towards him with a shocked expression.
“What!?” she exclaimed.
“Bring them to the Controller.” Waving several Cybermares towards them, they were soon surrounded by four Cybermares.
Before they embarked for where this ‘’Controller’’ was, one of the Cybermares attached a silver ring to Celestia’s horn.
“Forward,” the Cyber-Leader then instructed.
In response to his command, the Cybermares, Kami and Celestia, all started trotting forward…all while hundreds of eyes were watching their every move.