//------------------------------//
// First Contact. 
// Story: A Crisis In Maretime Bay 
// by RiffRaff7942_YT 
//------------------------------//

“What is it?” Hitch asked.
“Search me,” Zipp lamented.
“It’s so big though,” Posey commented, “Surely it would’ve woken everyone up if it walked here.”

Everypony stared longingly at the giant robot before them. It was at least 10 metres high, had four gigantic weapons nestled on the top of it, and looked incredibly destructive, not just from the weapons, but from the looks of it it looked like it could walk through a building without even slowing down.
“Any any case it’s a hazard for sure,” Posey commented.
“Of course you’d be the first to say that,” Zipp commented back.

“Well it’s clearly a robot,” Hitch iterated, ignoring Zipp’s previous remark, “So maybe it has an inside compartment?”
“It’s also clearly too high to climb,” Zipp replied.
“Pfft. Who says we need to climb?” Hitch replied, hinting towards the other Earth ponies who all collectively smirked. And then in unison, they clopped their hooves, and a great big vine sprouted from the ground, carrying Hitch and Zipp up towards the robot’s cab to enter the cockpit.

They entered through a small hatch door on the roof in between two of the guns.. the room was quiet and unlit. Clearly there was somewhere for a pilot to sit but no pilot to be found.
“Maybe look for an on button?” Hitch suggested. He and Zipp began looking around for an on button around the cab. Zipp gravitated towards a rather large control deck packed with buttons and knobs and levers.
“Let’s try this,” Zipp said to herself. She pressed a big red button.

All of a sudden, the entire cockpit lit up with bright cinema adjacent lights as the robot roared into life. Outside, the robot began flexing its legs and weapons, as if it was waking up from a deep sleep. As the reboot continued, Zipp and Hitch noticed speaker phones that emerged from a few walls.

“Welcome to the cockpit,” An AI voice began (Which sounds like this Random Facts You Didn't Know | Brain Blud | #shorts #satisfyingwww.youtube.com › watch), “Hitch Trailblazer and Zephyrina Storm, who I shall refer to as simply ‘Zipp’ since you prefer it over your real name.”
“Uhh, okay,” Hitch commented.
“I detect you are all sharing a feeling of anxiety and wonder.” The voice spoke again.
“Who are you?” Zipp asked.
“We robots often do not have official names,” It said again, “We are mostly referred to by our pilots by our robot build name. I for example, am a Crisis, a golden grade robot build by Icarus Technologies.”
“Icarius?” Hitch asked. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of that.”

“I myself do not come from this world,” Crisis spoke, “In my world there are lots of other robots, some of which have the ability to teleport by themselves. I have been transported here after an incident involving teleportation with another robot, and as such I fell between dimensions and ended up in this unidentified universe under the cover of night, explaining why nobody heard me arrive. I powered down automatically when I lost contact with my universe, and now you have deactivated me, which I am most greatful for.”

“Uhh no problem,” Hitch finally said after a pause. This was a lot to take in. A robot from another universe somehow being transported via teleportation. Hitch recalled the Knottshurr monsters being teleported somehow a couple of months before way back in December.
“Soo, would you like us to introduce ourselves?” Zipp asked.
“I detect you’re still feeling overwhelmed and a little not fully there. Would you like it if I scanned your brains to instantly know who you are?” Crisis asked.
The ponies looked at eachother and then at the machine around.

“Will it hurt?” Zipp asked. “And does it erase our minds?”
“No and no,” Crisis responded. I will simply use ultra sensitive receptors to scan your brains and pick up your memories and overall personality to deduct who you are. Any embarrassing memories or secrets I can also detect and ask if you want them shared or not.”

The ponies looked at eachother again.
“Uhh sure,” Hitch replied.
“Yeah that’d be fine,” Zipp added.

It’s worth noting the ponies outside could hear every word being said by Crisis.
“You think they’re in trouble?” Windy asked Posey.
“Knowing them, they’ll find some way out if it turns ugly,” She responded.
“Yeah. Hopefully they can stop any foreseeable trouble before it begins.” Windy replied.
“If they can stop all pony kind from hating eachother within a day, I have zero doubts.” Posey finished.

Windy shrugged and looked back at Crisis, as was every other pony, with simultaneous awe and slight nerve.

Back in the cockpit while this was happening, Crisis activated the sensors, which targeted the three ponies, and scanned them slowly at first. The ponies felt nothing, so it clearly wasn’t too dangerous. It took a few seconds to get done but eventually…
“Scan complete,” The Crisis announced eventually. The scanners turned to Hitch first, indicating Crisis spoke to him.

“You are Hitch Trailblazer, sheriff of Maretime Bay and representative of the element of kindness. Though logistically speaking, you’d be better suited representing the element of justice, since you are very enforceful with your laws in this small coastal town, and rarely show kindesss or sympathy for criminals or villains, as evidence by how easily you turned on Misty when she revealed to be working for a villainous alicorn named Opaline Arcana. You instantly turned your back on her with no thought for sympathy, and- I have been cut off. That is a memory you’d more like to be forgotten, and I apologise for bringing it up.”

The sensors turned towards the white Pegasus.

“You are Zephyrina Storm, more liking to be called Zipp, due to your real name being too long and you’re wishing to save three syllables and five letters. You are the sister of Pipp Petals, who suffers from slight dwarfism, meaning she is shorter than your average life form. Your ultimate fantasy involving intercourse with Hitch Trailblazer is to- Would you like your ultimate fantasy to be revealed?”

“Uhh, no thanks,” Zipp replied.

“Very well. That is the baseline of what my sensors picked up. Moving to a different subject, would you like it if I explained and potentially demonstrated my artillery?”

“Umm, by all means explain, but no demonstrating, unless if you can do it in a non destructive way.” Hitch said.

“Very well,” Crisis responded, “As of now, I am equipped with four heavy grade weapons known as reapers. I am the third robot to be able to wield four heavy weapons at once, the first two being Butch, and Behemoth. This also makes me the only robot with four heavy slots to not have my name begin with B. Coincidentally, the letter C is the letter right after the letter B.

However, I am the first robot with four heavy weapon slots to be able to use all four of my weapons at all times. The Butch can swap between two sets of heavy weapons, and the Behemoth can either use four weapons and move slower, or use only two and gain more speed. I am the only one who can use all four simultaneously, at the expense of a more unstable suspension balance, and low defence and health. This is why I work best as a sniper bot.”

“You’re a war machine then?” Hitch asked.
“We are commonly known as ‘walking war robots’, and for very good reason,” Crisis responded, “I come equipped with built in passive stealth, with no need to switch between modes. Unless I am firing or have recently fired my weapons, I will go into stealth mode and be unlocatable to me enemies, unless an enemy has a quantum radar installed in which case they will be able to lock onto me for a few seconds.

As for my active ability, my overpower ability allows me to shoot past enemy shields with much more power for three seconds, and then it has to reset for about eight seconds at a time. Would you like to see this ability demonstrated?“
“Uhh, long as you don’t destroy anything.” Hitch replied.

The crisis reared back its cab with all the ponies outside watching in utter amazement. The four reaper weapons became surrounded by purple lights for three seconds. And during this time, the Crisis let rip, firing six straight shots per weapon into the air like fireworks.
Hitch and Zipp sat there dumbfounded.
“…Okay then,” Hitch finally managed to get out. “Anyway, would you mind if we get you out of Maretime Bay before you cause any destruction?”
“Yes I agree, Hitch,” Crisis replied, “It would be best if I left before causing any unadulterated mayhem.”

The Crisis turned its cab towards the sea and then walked off into the ocean, all in a quite wobbly fashion. He hadn’t been lying when he said his weapons made his chassis wobble. It seemed every time one of his massive legs came down on the ocean floor, it threatened to make his cab fall right off.
“Okay I think we’re far away enough!” Hitch called, “Would you stop?”
The Crisis did as he was told and stopped about 30 metres from the dockside.

Looking back at the boulevard Hitch found all the other ponies were just as dumbfounded as he Zipp and Misty had been. Nothing like the Crisis had quite been seen before in these regions, or any other regions.
“So… where did you come from?” Hitch asked.
“I come from planet earth, in the year 2143,” Crisis responded.
“Your universes version of the planet earth obviously?” Hitch asked.
“Affirmative,” Crisis replied, “As stated I was teleported here by way of an accident in the mothership. I do not know how to get back unless I can locate a tele-porter big enough for me, which is unlikely.”
“Well I’m sure we’ll figure out something buddy,” Hitch responded, “For now let’s see if we can find a safe place to house you.”
“Very well,” Crisis agreed.

*MYM*

As Crisis made his way across the ocean, his sensors were on high alert.
“I pick up you’re wondering about my high alert.” He spoke, “There is slight chance I wasn’t the only one teleported here. There could be potential antagonistic robots roaming around.”
“Okay then,” Hitch said, not having much to say on account of still processing this ginormous robot being in her universe at all. Even though Hitch was usually a pony of law and order, he was secretly hoping in the back of his mind that they did run into trouble to see the giant Icarius robot in action.

Then, Crisis’s sensors started flashing on and off violently.
“Uhh, what does that mean?” Zipp asked nervously.
As if to answer, a stream of heavy rockets came raining down on Crisis. The cab shook violently
“On the horizon,” Crisis responded, “As I feared, a Recluse, one of many grey AI robots from battle mode ‘Extermination’.”

Sure enough, on the horizon was a brown four legged robot firing long range rain missiles from a distance.
“Fear not, for even pilotless, I can make short work of it,” Crisis reassured, quickly enabling his overpower ability and opening fire on the Recluse. While the Recluse’s health was blasted down more than halfway, Crisis unfortunately had to reload his guns, a process that took fifteen seconds.

“Might wanna keep moving buddy,” Hitch suggested. Hitch’s suggestion proved a good one. Even though the Recluse was heavily damaged, it was still firing at great rate. Crisis manoeuvred himself, circling the Recluse until his weapons finally reloaded. Once again the same procedure, overpower, open fire, reload. And sure enough, this time the Recluse was shot down, and crashed to the ground. And as a final indignity, it got swept over the shallow piece of water it was standing in, and sunk without trace.

“Sooo, care to explain… that?” Zipp finally asked, after a long silence.
“As stated in the heat of the moment,” Crisis began with, “That was a Recluse, one of many arachnid based robots of Grey AI. Nobody knows who the overseer of the operation actually is, but for whatever reason, he sends waves of those spider bots on rampages across the lands, and it is our noble task, as war machines, to dispatch them.”
“Okay, so why exactly?” Zipp asked.
“As stated no one knows,” Crisis replied. “But as soon as someone finds out I’ll notify you. If we remain in touch after I return to my universe.”

Crisis then began scanning the area once again.
“Now are what you doing?” Hitch asked the giant robot.
“I am attempting to detect other signs of ‘life’, inquotation marks, from my hanger,” Crisis responded, “It’s clear I was not the only one transported to this universe, so my teammates may also be here somewhere.”

Hitch and Zipp gazed around the cab looking all around, as the many strange gadgets scanned the surrounding areas, from as far as Bridlewood to pocket dimensions like Starlight Ridge.
“Other robots.” Crisis announced. “Several, scattered across these lands. I must locate them before the swarm arrives.”
“Uhh, how big exactly is this swarm?” Hitch asked nervously.
“Is equestria in danger?” Zipp asked also nervously.
“Unclear at the moment,” Crisis announced, “We must travel the lands and unite my hangar, and then we can work together to take them down. Perhaps I can also teach you the ways of piloting a true war machine.”
“Well don’t waste time explaining here, explain on the way.” Hitch said.
“Very well, Hitch,” Crisis replied.
And with that, Crisis shakily headed off in the direction of Zephyr heights.