//------------------------------// // Party Crashers // Story: Uncharted: Vought's Vestige // by Alicorn_Avionics //------------------------------// Uncharted: Vought's Vestige Chapter One: Party Crashers Location: Ponyville Time: 7:53 pm, CMT (Canterlot Mean Time) Despite the sun long having departed the skies above, the streets of Ponyville were brimming with light. Lanterns danced gently on their strings in a light autumn breeze. Mixed screams of terror and laughter followed clusters of costumed fillies as they sped from door to door, eagerly collecting their sweet prizes. The moon tonight was larger than ever, a product of the Princess of the Night ensuring a spectacular backdrop for the night's festivities across the land. This was Nightmare Night, one of the most celebrated evenings of the season alongside the Winter Solstice. While most years would have the central festivities packed around Town Hall, this year they were placed on the far shores of Silver Lake, as an angry storm was writhing menacingly over the Everfree Forest. Booths filled with candies and creepy confectionaries served the bustling masses of costumed ponies. Gaunt ghouls gallivanted, mysterious monsters meddled about, and celebrities of both fiction and reality shared laughs while competing in friendly games. Cheers urged a spiky-maned zombie unicorn to keep blasting music across the festivities from her massive sound system crammed onto a collapsible stage. Amongst the shifting crowds, Twilight Sparkle readjusted the wings of her own costume, awaiting the arrival of her five closest friends on the lake's shore. She had decided this year to create an accurate portrayal of Princess Luna herself. "Hey fere, phugarcupe!" a muffled voice called out. Twilight turned to find Applejack trotting towards her. The farmer pony wore a striped blue and white vest over a white shirt, a black bow-tie, while a straw Boater sat in place of her iconic Stetson. Twilight couldn't tell if her speech was impeded more in part by the red, bushy mustache plastered on her muzzle or the length of rope clenched tightly in her teeth. At the other end of the rope was a very flustered Rarity, trying hard to avoid gaining attention, although the bright rainbow-patterned wig, shirt and red-and-yellow striped pants wasn't making it easy for her. "I honestly can not- be seen like- this!" She protested loudly as she continued to struggle against the rope, "How you ever talked me into putting on this ridiculous get-up is beyond me!" Applejack stopped by Twilight and spat the rope on the ground, clamping it to the dirt with a hoof before her charge could escape her. "Sorry fer arrivin' late, but ah had to fetch Rarity." The fashionista gave her a glare that could freeze a Windigo in its place. Applejack just sneered. "Ah told ya not ta take Rainbow up on her little bet, now ya gotta live with the consequences!" "Her bet?" A puzzled Twilight asked. "Rainbow bet Rarity that she'd enjoy that Darin' Doo book o' hers. Heh, ya'll can see that she lost. Couldn't get her ta keep the nose on, though." "Celestia curse that mare and that brilliant writer to Tartarus..." Rarity grumbled bitterly. The quiet swoosh of wings and dull thud of four hooves making contact with the dirt, which would have heralded the arrival of their next guest, was inaudible over the crowd’s cheers and blaring music. Instead, she made her presence thoroughly known by laughing raucously at Rarity's plight. Her squeals of laughter continued as she fell on the ground clutching her sides, dirtying the black suit she wore. "I c-can't believe you- you got her to wear it AJ! Bwa ha ha!" Rainbow gasped, tears of mirth now forming at the corners of her eyes as she let loose another peal of raucous laughter. "This is the best Nightmare Night EVER!" "What're ya supposed ta be anyway, RD? One o' them 'Mares in Black?'" "She could be a tax auditor!" Twilight chirped. Rainbow stopped her laughing, immediately deadpanning at the unicorn. "Well, Luna doesn't like them..." Twilight mumbled, finding interest with a pebble by her hoof. In one swift motion, Rainbow flipped herself onto her hooves and produced a white mask from one of the suit's pockets. "Well, I was going to dress as the Slendermare, but I can't really see out of this thing at all. Plus-" "I told you the thread count was too high!" Rarity cut in, smug that she had achieved some semblance of revenge. She would be victorious by attrition! "Right... anyway, the weather team called me in to help with that giant boomer over the Everfree." Rainbow continued, lazily throwing a hoof over her shoulder at the foreboding mass of dark clouds billowing over the canopy. The anvil-shaped thunderhead reached high above the range of most other storms, spitting out jagged bolts of lightning and shaking the ground with tumultuous thunder. "It's weird, really," Rainbow said once she noticed her friends were too shocked at the impressive size of the storm to say anything, "We've seen thunderheads, but not as huge this one, but it doesn't seem to be moving at all. It's just kind of-" "Shh! Do you guys hear that?" Twilight tensely whispered. The others gave a quick glance to the purple mare. She was standing rigid, ears perked towards the huge storm. It raged on, oblivious to the scrutiny. As the others began to worry if it was at all possible to study one's self to death, Applejack spoke. "Wait, ah think ah hear it... it's like some sorta buzzin'..." Eventually, Rarity and even Rainbow Dash (who had lost much of her hearing in her right ear due to bucking a few too many thunderclouds) had begun hearing the mysterious buzz emanating from the massive storm. Other ponies in the crowd had begun to notice it as well between the thunderclaps, turning their attention away from the stage. Suddenly, a dark shape bolted from the depths of the thunderhead, flying high above the gathered masses. From below, its silhouette closely matched that of a bird, yet its wings remained static as it flew, and those bulges! What were they good for, anyway? From the tips of its strangely motionless wings flashed bright lights, with a solid red light adorning the left wingtip, while a green light adorned its counterpart. The drone was now clearly audible as it continued overhead. Vinyl Scratch even stopped her music to gawk at the strange object. The whole population of the town stared in shocked silence as their eyes traced the object's path across the sky, and continued staring even as it continued droning away. "Well, what is it Twiligh'? It ain't gonna hurt no pony, is it?" Applejack worriedly asked as the droning changed to an intermittent sputtering. "I don't know..." She responded, still watching it arc lazily through the night, dropping closer to the ground all the while. "It doesn't appear hostile, at any rate. It may have just gotten loo-OOH MY CELESTIA! IT'S GOING FOR THE LIBRARY!!" The others turned just in time to see the thing graze the outer branches of the library with a wingtip before being blinded by a light brighter than any lantern. It swooped low over the town, now barreling towards the lights of the festival, like a giant moth to a flame. The once vibrant and jovial atmosphere of Nightmare Night was in shattered as other ponies took note of the menacing object hurtling towards them. It quickly dropped its belly into the peaceful waters of Silver Lake, destroying its perfect reflection of the moon. Mist flew in two brilliant arcs from its main body, while the display was mirrored by two protrusions from the wings which stuck down into the water. With a loud SHLUNK, the mysterious object jammed itself firmly into the shoreline. The strange sputtering sound was silenced as a strange device on one of the wing's bulges spun lazily to a stop. Nopony spoke a word as the inched closer to their new "guest," shielding their eyes from the unearthly glare emanating from the object's left wing. Why was it here? What was it? Who or what sent it? A high pitched, sugar fueled voice broke the stunned silence. "Woo-hoo! Party crashers!" Location: 12˚37'55.93" N, 70˚08'02.81" W, 5,000 ft above the Caribbean Sea Time: 1:53 am, AST (Atlantic Standard Time) Nathan Drake gently roused himself from his sleep and glanced around the cockpit of Sullivan's Grumman Goose. The cockpit was dark, save for what moonlight filtered in through the windscreen and the gentle green glow of the instruments illuminating the weathered features on Sully's face, an iconic Cuban cigar wedged firmly in his teeth. A glance at the clock confirmed what Nate's tired body already had a firm grasp of: It was nearing 2 a.m. The twin engines continued to drone in stereo, and before long Nate remembered the late hour hadn't been the only thing to cause him to drift off. He began thinking of anything to keep his mind awake. He and Sully were on the second leg of a long journey they had begun after arriving back in the States once their "business" in Yemen had concluded. They had departed from Florida by 7, stopped in Cuba for fuel and "supplies" by 10, and departed again an hour later for the island home Sully had rented for their "Guy's Week Out" in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. They both were in need of the trip, however one thing still confounded Nate about the whole thing. It could wait until later, though. Right now, the engine's lullaby called Nate back to the comfort of sleep. He'd ask Sully about it after just one... more... rest... Nate's eyes shot wide open when he suddenly felt his stomach flip as the plane began to roll towards the black waters of the Caribbean. Panicking, he grappled the yoke in a desperate attempt to level the Goose only to hear a hearty chuckle from the other side of the cabin once they were back to level flight. His heart still racing from his courtesy call, Nate looked over at Sully. A wry grin was plastered across his face as he continued to chuckle at his little prank. Nate hadn't found it nearly as amusing. "Jesus, Sully! You nearly gave me a heart-attack!" "Now that's sayin' something," He chortled softly, shifting the cigar to the other side of his mouth. "If I'd known you'd react like that, I'd have just yelled. Anyway, keep your head up. I need you awake for the landing, I'm blind as a goddamn bat, and we only got enough fuel for one shot at it." "Yeah, about that, Sully... Why do we have to land at two in the morning anyway?" "I, uh, still owe some 'debts' in these parts." "I take it they all aren't bar tabs?" Despite the best efforts of the engines, an audible silence fell between the two. Sully was first to dispel it. "Nate, I've been thinkin'..." "Oh boy, that's dangerous." He jokingly replied, hoping to steer away from the tender subject of Sully's debts. "Ha, ha, very funny. Anyway, I've been thinking, how the hell have we found those goddamn relics?" "What do you mean?" Sully removed his cigar before replying. "El Dorado, Shambhala, Iram of the Pillars. Nate, these places were hidden for years, even centuries. Some said they never existed before we found them." Nate gave an exasperated sigh. Aside from Sully's ever-expanding laundry list of creditors, this was the last topic he wanted to get into with him. Nathan wanted nothing more than to be done with treasure hunting altogether. Sure, their time abroad was exciting, and they profited nicely every time, but both he and Sully had more of their fair share of near-death experiences because of these escapades. Sully sighed. "Nate, you know that 'Rule of Three?' You know, 'One, it's a fluke; Two, it's coincidence; and Three-'" "'Three means there's a pattern,' Yeah Sully, I know that. What are you getting at; That I have some inhuman ability to find crap?" Nate replied, turning his attention to the Caribbean Sea churning silently beneath them as Sully began prattling off a response. He didn't pay much attention to him, instead he eyed the bright deck lights of a ship off on the horizon. This late (early?) in the day, it could possibly be hosting divers searching for the husk of some lost Spanish Galleon or merchant vessel. It painfully reminded him of how their first disastrous adventure had started, illegally diving off the coast of Panama, falling victim to the centuries-old scourge of pirates... "...All I'm saying is, I wouldn't be surprised if you found a goddamn horse out here!" Nate could only give his lifelong friend and mentor an incredulous look. "What? Alright, I wouldn't be too sur- what the hell?" Sully stopped mid-sentence as they flew into a low cloud bank which hadn't been recorded by their weather charts. Visibility dropped to zero, with nothing but a wall of cloud visible from every window. Rain began smattering the windscreen as turbulent winds buffeted the Goose. Lightning arced just feet from the wingtips, assaulting the aviators' eyes and ears with blinding light and deafening blasts. Nate and Sully grappled with the yokes to keep the rocking plane under their control. "Goddammit! Nate, help me keep her steady! I'm taking us down to 1,500!" Nate relaxed his arms enough for Sully to begin the descent. The altimeter's needles slowly began winding their way down past 3,000 feet, with occasional shudders from the plane getting hit with another bout of turbulence. The compass disk spun wildly on its gimbal, making Nate wonder if they had mistakenly gone north and ended up in the Bermuda Triangle instead. His train of thought was derailed as a powerful bolt of lightning struck the right engine. Bits of its cowling ricocheted off the fuselage, exposing the heavily damaged engine to the rain. A loud buzzer joined the cacophony to notify Sully and Nate of their lost engine, now angrily spitting flames at the raging storm from cracked cylinder heads as the propeller spun uselessly. Nate reached up and shut its throttle, but not before they had lost several crucial gallons of fuel to the insatiable engine fire. It's always the right engine, isn't it? He thought, aiding Sully in leveling the Goose once they reached 1,500 feet. They continued to fight the turbulence, rain pounding the plane until as quickly as they had flown into the sudden storm, they emerged into a windless, cloudless night. The compass calmed itself, deciding that they were, in fact, heading north. Nate's relief for exiting the storm vanished as he scanned the world below him. What should have been the inky black swells of the Caribbean Sea were instead the dark treetops of an expansive forest. They gave way to grassy fields as the plane struggled over the rooftops of a small village. His eyes traced eastward, gliding over the black mass of a reservoir large enough to accommodate the Goose. An odd conflagration of lights and buildings sat on the shore opposite the town, suggesting some sort of celebration. Continuing his reconnaissance of the new land, he spotted a rather large city clinging to the face of a mountain, lit by much in the same way as the supposed festival. Wait, was that a cas- His observations were cut short as the only good engine of the Goose began sputtering, crying in protest of its hunger pangs for the fuel lost by its brother. "Naaate..." Sully began apprehensively, viewing the strange world beneath him, "Tell me you were looking for this place..." "No," He replied, sharing in Sully's apprehension, "but I did see a lake just long enough to land in. Circle back to the right and bring us in low over the town, keeping that giant oak tree to the left. I just hope the locals won't mind us crashing their party." Sully sent the plane into a lazy right turn, passing over an open orchard before lining up with the large tree at the edge of the settlement. He clicked on the landing lights as they exited their turn, bathing the thatch-roofed houses with bright artificial light as they sped overhead. Sully squinted as he attempted to judge the length of the lake, focusing on where the shimmering waters ended. "We're comin' in a little too hot for this lake, kid! When we hit the water, drop the landing ge-" The roar of the Goose's hull splitting the water's surface drowned out the rest of Sully's command. Nate braced himself against the cockpit's instrument panel while Sully remained focused on keeping the plane on an even keel as they rapidly plied across the lake. Their impromptu moonlight cruise came to an abrupt end as the Goose's hull, so adept to slicing through water, gouged itself into opposite shore, throwing Nate and Sully against their yokes. Sully's cigar, torn from its owner's mouth by the sudden stop, snuffed itself out against the windshield. The left engine popped twice before falling silent, letting the propeller slowly wind down. An eerie silence pervaded the area as the citizens of the town began to investigate their sudden guests. Nate was first to recover from the crash. "Oh man," He said through gritted teeth while rubbing his neck, "now that's whiplash... Sully, how're you- Sully?" His face paled as his eyes fell on Sully's motionless form slumped over the controls. A crimson line meandered down the old man's temple from where his head struck the dashboard. His mouth bobbed slightly, allowing him to murmur. "Gmmt, nnt..." Nate leaned in close, desperate to hear what may be his mentor's final words. "W-what was that, Sully?" "GODDAMNIT, NATE!" Sullivan exploded, easing himself up into his seat again. "I told you to get the gear down as soon as we hit the water! What the HELL happened?!" "I couldn't hear you." "Oh, of all the..." Sully massaged his temples, attempting to calm the pair of headaches now wracking his skull. "Ugh, I need another damn cigar. Make sure to find the other one, Nate," He called as he climbed out of his chair and staggered into the cargo hold for his prized cigars. Relieved his friend was still very much alive, Nate began searching for Sully's wayward cigar before it could singe anything, but froze once his eyes glanced beyond the fractured windscreen. A crowd had begun forming at the nose of their beached Goose. They were strange to say the least, all of their abnormally large eyes trained on the wreck, squinting against the glare of the one working landing light. He found looks of fear, worry, anger, one even looked fit to burst with joy at the town's new guests. "Sullyyyy?" Nate apprehensively called over his shoulder, not wanting to take his eyes off the crowd. "You find that damn cigar yet, kid?" "No, but I think I found your horse..."