2.2
Sergeant Aiden R. Marsh
Washington D.C., Second American Republic
November 14, 2210
“Is everyone ready?” Aiden asked looking at his six teammates as he had one hand on the door. He received assuring nods from all of them.
“Let’s go,” Leon said.
“Alright, let’s do this!” Aiden shouted as he opened the door. “Go! Go!”
The street was littered with abandoned cars, rubble from buildings, glass shards, and bullet casings, to name a few.
“OH SHIT!!” Alex screamed as a VTOL collided with a nearby apartment building, exploding into a ball of fire.
“Don’t stop for anything!” Aiden screamed over the sound of distant explosions, screams, and gunfire. “Just keep running, and don’t look anywhere but forward!”
The seven of them sprinted down the street, doing their best to ignore the screams of nearby victims as the Ashen slaughtered them. They spoke very little to each other, focusing all of their energy and thought into sprinting for safety.
“You were only fifteen when this happened, Aiden. You must have been very afraid.”
“You’re goddamn right; all of us were scared out of our minds. Anyways, we managed to get to the Waterfront Metro Station, so we were relatively safe...”
The seven of them had a moment of respite as they entered the Metro station. Aiden rubbed his forehead as he tried to catch his breath. “Gimme a sitrep,” he said in between gasps. “Everyone made it here alright?”
“Yeah,” Alex gasped for breath while he leaned against a wall. “I’m still here...”
“I’m here,” Leon said.
“Here,” Logan said.
“Here,” Emily said.
“Here,” David said.
“Mary?” Aiden asked looking back at the blonde girl to see her sitting on the steps, trying to catch her breath.
“Motherfucker...” she gasped. “I don’t...I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast before in my life...”
“Are you alright, Mary?”
She exhaled loudly before standing up. “I’m better than alright, I am just absolutely fan-fucking-tastic...”
“She’s fine...” Logan sighed as the seven of them went deeper into the Metro station.
“So, Logan,” Aiden said. “Where are we going from here?”
“We follow the Green Line,” Logan replied. “North; it’ll take us straight to L’Enfant Plaza, and then to Central Authority.”
“Sounds good,” Aiden said. “Let’s go, if there are any survivors, then they won’t be able to hold out much longer.” And with that, the seven cadets headed down the inactive escalator into the Metro Station.
“Does anyone think we’ll run into any trouble down here?” David asked.
“Doubtful,” Logan answered. “But I suppose we should be on our guard, just in case.”
As they approached the northern tunnel, Alex couldn’t help but eye the crashed subway car, still on fire. The conductor’s dead body leaned out of the shattered window, a large portion of his face hanging loose, exposing the already rotting flesh beneath it. The stench was nearly overpowering, and it was clear that there were more bodies in the train. “Damn...” Alex muttered to himself as he tried to cover his nose. “I’ve seen pretty grievous injuries before, but this...”
“Yeah,” Mary sighed. “It’s a shame to say that this isn’t the first rotting human body I’ve seen in my life, though...”
“Do you think it gets any easier?” David asked no one in particular.
“They say it does,” Mary said. “I actually hope that it isn’t true...”
“Huh...” Leon quietly grunted. “Come on, let’s keep going.”
“Wait!” Aiden hissed as he held his hand up. “Do you hear that?” The other six cadets listened intently for what he was referring to.
David spoke up. “I don’t hear--” His sentence was interrupted by a loud screeching noise.
“Flashlights!” Aiden whispered. His six squadmates obeyed, turning on their flashlights, looking for what made the noise. Something lunged out of the shadows of the subway wreckage at them causing Mary to fire her shotgun at it in surprise. The creature-whatever it was-screamed in pain as the shell hit its mark. It staggered back for a moment, and Aiden trained his flashlight on it. He got a clear look at an Ashen for the first time.
Its skin was a sickly pale, and it peeled in certain spots. The clothing was torn in places, and blood stained the edge of its mouth and fingertips. The smell that surrounded it was that of death; it was basically a zombie in most senses of the word. The eyes glowed slightly, and they reflected a kind of sheer malevolence that Aiden would be happy to never see again. The Ashen spawn howled at them again until Aiden aimed his M98 automatic rifle at it and gave it something to howl about.
As the four bullet casings rolled towards the ground, Aiden recuperated from the shock of seeing such a disgusting looking creature. As the hellspawn fell to the floor dead, similar screeches came from the subway wreckage as more pale hands began to punch through the windows.
“Oh shit...” Alex whispered as the sound of more Ashen could be heard behind them.
“Orders, Sergeant!?” Logan asked Aiden, though he was certain that he knew the answer already, along with the other five members of the squad.
“Orders are simple, Logan: Fuck everything and run!!!” Aiden screamed as he continued down the tunnel, with his team right behind him.
“You heard him!” Logan yelled as he followed his team leader. “Move!!”
“We had to move North along the Green Line with the Ashen chasing us, until we finally got to L’Enfant Metro Station...”
“And you weren’t alone there, Aiden: other Network operatives, military personnel, and what was left of the Washington D.C. Police Department was holding out in the Station. With their assistance, you collapsed the Green Line North tunnel with heavy duty explosives.”
“Yes, we...we made it to the plaza, but...but...”
“Aiden?”
“...”
“Aiden!”
---
“Aiden!”
Aiden yelped as he again tumbled out of bed and onto the marble floor at the sound of somepony yelling his name. This voice he recognized as Celestia’s. Aiden opened his eyes and looked up to see Celestia’s pale pink eyes still staring back at him. She smiled at him, yet her face still seemed to hold concern somehow.
“It’s about time you woke up,” she said shaking her head, the ever present smile still there.
Aiden rubbed his forehead as he sat Native American style on the floor. “Jeez...How long have I been asleep?”
“Long enough that it’s past eleven in the morning!” She laughed. “I figured you’d want to see your dear friend off as she leaves for the School for Gifted Unicorns.” Celestia said softly. “Come, she’s waiting for us in the main hall!”
Aiden nodded for her to lead the way. As they proceeded down the hallway, past more of those heavily decorated stained glass windows, they crossed paths with a white stallion wearing purple armor. He stepped aside and saluted the princess once he saw her.
“At ease, Captain Shining Armor,” Princess Celestia said with a smile.
“It’s good to see you, Princess,” the Captain said with delight before turning his attention to Aiden. From the sound of his voice, Shining Armor couldn’t have been any older than seventeen or eighteen years. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you...Sergeant Aiden, was it?” He asked looking up to the princess.
Aiden nodded and reached his hand out. “Sergeant Aiden Marsh; you can just call me Aiden. The pleasure is all mine,” he said calmly as the newly named Captain offered his appendage to complete the hand/hoof shake.
“Wow,” the young stallion laughed nervously. “I, uh, never thought I’d see a human, let alone shake one’s ho-” he paused. “I mean, hand,” he finished with another nervous laugh. Aiden said nothing but smiled and nodded as he and the princess continued on their way to the main hall.
“It was nice to finally meet you,” Aiden called back at the Captain.
“Same to you, Sergeant!”
Aiden looked up to the princess with a curious face.
“What?” Celestia asked in a slightly confused tone.
“He seems rather young to be a Captain, doesn’t he?”
“He’s loyal, and I’ve seen him in training; he is certainly most skilled for his age, in both combat, and leadership.”
Aiden paused for a moment. “How did he take his sudden promotion?”
“To say that he was shocked would be an understatement,” Celestia giggled. “He was practically beside himself!” She started laughing a little harder. “And when I told Twilight, she nearly fainted!”
“Twilight?” Aiden asked. “Twilight Sparkle?”
Celestia nodded. “His little sister!”
Aiden’s eyes widened at this small revelation. “Huh, I don’t really see the resemblance...” He thought to himself.
“Here we are,” Celestia said as she opened the door with her magic. At the entrance of the Main Hall, sat a patient Lyra with a small brown saddle bag on her back. She smiled as wide as she could when her eyes fell on Aiden, whom gladly returned the grin. The two friends gladly embraced each other once again.
“I never really thanked you for saving me back in the Everfree Forest,” Lyra whispered sadly.
“Hey, there’s no need to worry yourself over it,” he laughed as he playfully ruffled her mane a little bit. She giggled and pulled back slightly.
“You know, Aiden,” she sighed as she looked up at him, the look in her eyes was one of deep thought; she was pondering what to say and how she wanted to say it.
“Yes, Lyra?” Aiden replied with a radiant grin.
She traced her forehoof along the floor like she usually does when she’s nervous. “I...I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother.” She paused for a second as a look of anticipation took over Aiden’s face. “I mean, my dad is the only male figure I really have in my life, and don’t get me wrong, I love him, but...” She looked around, thinking of what to say next, when she felt Aiden’s hand pull her chin up gently so that they stared into each other’s eyes.
“I completely understand,” Aiden said with one of the happiest smiles he had ever had in his life. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a brother,” he paused as he took in a deep, shaky breath. “And I never even knew my real parents; my step father was the only family I ever had, and he’s been gone for...”
Lyra interrupted his sentence as she dove in, embracing him one final time. “It’ll all be okay, Aiden,” she gently whispered.
Aiden didn’t know what to say, or even think. Here, the foal whom he had rescued, kept safe, and returned her to her home, was now trying to console him. “I know it will,” he said, after failing to think of anything else. He felt as though he had regained something he had lost a long time ago; something that he thought he would never truly have again...
“A family...”
“Are you ready to go?” Aiden asked Lyra in a shaky voice. The mint colored filly nodded.
“I’m all ready, Aiden!” She said happily as the two of them approached the entrance with Celestia by their side. Outside was a carriage, driven by two of Celestia’s pegasi guards. Lyra waved goodbye to both the princess and Aiden as the carriage lifted off the ground and flew into the city. When the carriage was out of sight, Aiden hung his head.
“She considers you more like a family member than a friend,” Celestia said looking over to her visitor. Aiden said nothing but nodded as he quickly wiped away a single tear that had escaped his left eye. Celestia noticed this, and gently extended her wing around her guest in a motherly embrace.
---
Aiden stood on the same balcony as the previous evening, looking out as the sun set over the city of Canterlot. The sound of hoofsteps could be heard from behind. Celestia came to his side; an old, dusty tome was encased in her magical aura. The two of them remained silent for a span of a few moments.
“Beautiful as always, Princess,” Aiden quietly complemented Celestia’s work on the sunset.
“Thank you,” she calmly replied. “I do try my best, after all.”
Aiden quietly grunted. “What’s with the book?” He asked looking over to her.
Celestia brought the tome up to her face and sighed. “I think I might know the reason you were brought to this place...” She opened the tome and flipped through the first few pages. “In all honesty, I’m not sure what to think that this means for you, though...”
“Not sure?” Aiden asked quietly as he turned back to face the horizon. “Why’s that?”
Celestia takes in a deep breath first, trying to think of how to explain it first. “This tome is titled, 'Obsidian Walls,' by a unicorn mage; Blaze Lance was his name. It chronicles his personal explorations of the ancient human city known as Abitrath.” Aiden’s attention was caught.
“I’m listening,” Aiden stated.
“According to his account, Abitrath is among the first, and the largest of the human cities in the World. Somehow, its builders carved it out of the obsidian left behind by a dormant supervolcano over the centuries.”
“What did he find there?” Aiden asked.
“Very little. I am actually quite surprised that he came to the conclusion that Abitrath was a human city of all things. At any rate, he found no human remains, some small bits of advanced technology here and there, but nothing outstanding. But he did find one thing...”
“Yes?” Aiden asked as the anticipation practically began to suffocate him.
“He found a giant wall in the center of the city, deep within the volcano...”
“A wall?” Aiden raised an eyebrow.
Celestia nodded. “An enormous wall that nearly touched the ceiling with ancient writing on it. He spent days trying to decipher the characters, but came out with very little. In fact, he could only piece together a small fraction of the writing, including these three words: Forerunners, return, reclaim.”
Aiden looked down at the floor for a second, then looked back up to see a stern look on the princess’s face. “Who are the Forerunners?” He asked after a few moments of silence.
“You remember when I said the history of this world runs deeper than that of Equestria?” Aiden nodded in response. “The Forerunners were the first beings to emerge into existence, hundreds of thousands of years ago. According to legend, what Blaze Lance uncovered at Abitrath, and what my parents have told Luna and I, the Forerunners were capable of immense power, and they ruled over all life as gods. For millennia, they governed this world, until they mysteriously all vanished. Whether they left of their own accord, or were overthrown by their mortal servants remains unknown. Humans then rose up to become the most powerful race in the world, again ruling over other subservient species and constructed the various cities that dot this world’s continents.”
“Let me guess,” Aiden said. “There’s a prophecy that tells of the Forerunners’ return?” Celestia nodded. Aiden hummed to himself as a brief period of silence came over the two of them. “Do you really believe that?” He finally asked.
Celestia sighed. “In all honesty, Aiden, I don’t know what to believe: a prophecy that tells the return of ancient, immortal godlike beings...” Celestia paused as she finished the sunset. “While the prophecy lacks detail, it certainly paints the image that their return will be anything but peaceful...”
“Do you think your sister’s return will have anything to do with it?” Aiden asked as he leaned his back against the railing.
“Hmm,” Celestia brought a hoof to her chin, deep in thought. “Nine hundred and ninety years, and I haven’t thought of that...” she mused aloud. “I honestly know very little about the Forerunners, and even less on the subject of their return.” The two of them turned their heads skyward as Celestia focused her energy in raising the moon as it slowly began to rise over the Canterlot skyline.
“And on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars shall aid in her escape, and she shall bring about everlasting night...” Celestia laughed softly as her eyes closed to the point of being little slits. “I actually came up with that tale myself not long after my sister’s imprisonment. I had the head of my Council of Mages at the time publish it. Over the years and decades, it simply became known as an old mare’s tale...”
“So you know that these; ‘Elements of Harmony’ will defeat your sister and restore her true self?”
Celestia nodded. “I am unsure how it will lead to the return of the Forerunners though...I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Yeah...” Aiden quietly mused as he felt Celestia leave his side. As the inky blackness of the night pushed the last of the sunset beyond the horizon, Aiden heaved a heavy sigh as he left the balcony for his room. “Just wait and see...”
---
Aiden scratched his head as he thought of which move to make next. Across with him sat his stepfather with a smug look on his face. He was in check. Again. Aiden analyzed his options for the seventh time. He only had three pawns left, a bishop, a knight, and of course, his king.
Finally, Aiden threw his hands up in the air.
“Do you capitulate?” His stepfather asked with a laugh.
“Dad, I don’t even know what that word means...” Aiden said as he rested his chin in his hand.
“It means you give up; surrender.”
“Okay then, yes; I surrender!” Aiden sighed.
“Don’t worry, your kingdom will be an excellent addition to my growing empire!” He said with a mock evil grin.
“Oh, very funny,” Aiden sarcastically remarked as he stood up. “I suck at chess, Dad; plain and simple.”
“It’s a game that requires patience, that’s all. You need to analyze all of your options; don’t make unnecessary sacrifices, and use your advantages for all that they’re worth.”
“Hey, in real life, I bet half the strategies I used would’ve worked!”
“Well in real life, units don’t move one at a time on a square grid,” his stepfather said as he stretched. “Come now, it’s getting late, and you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow!” He said as the two of them went down the hallway towards their respective bedrooms.
“Goodnight, Dad,” Aiden yawned as he closed the door.
“Goodnight, Aiden...”
For what felt like hours, Aiden tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes simply refused to stay shut. For the most part, it was the sound of movement from across the hallway that kept him awake. Aiden tossed the sheets aside in frustration, covered his ears; anything to block out the scratching sound that came from across the hallway.
It stopped, finally, only to pick up again, but this time from within his room. Aiden was wide awake at this point and immediately was out of bed. His eyes scanned across his room, trying to find the source of the scratching noise as it seemingly inched up the walls towards the ceiling.
“It’s probably just a rat in the wall or something,” Aiden thought, quietly laughing at himself for thinking that something was in his room with him. He was about to slip back in bed when he noticed that his door was now open. As he approached it, he heard the scratching now coming from inside his stepfather’s room.
Aiden placed his hand on the doorknob.
“We are your history, Aiden...and your future,”
He heard those words in the back of his mind as he opened the door. A loud bang, along the lines of a firecracker came from within the room, and a small flash of light could be seen from his stepfather’s office desk. Almost immediately, Aiden felt something strike his chest.
The lights inside the room flickered on. Inside, his stepfather held his personal A2155 handgun, a small amount of smoke billowing out of the barrel. When he saw what he had shot, a look of horror came over his face. The gun dropped to the floor as Aiden got over the initial shock of his injury.
Aiden gazed at his stepfather with a look of bewilderment, who seemed to mouth the words: “I’m so sorry...”
Aiden backed away from his caretaker in fear for his life, as he gripped his injury, which was now pulsing with agony. Aiden turned down the hallway, still trying to comprehend what had just transpired and the fact that he now had a bullet in his chest. Blood poured out of his wound, coating his hand.
As he fell to his knees, that same voice echoed into his mind one last time.
You belong to us, Aiden...
You have always belonged to us...