Mega Man X: Paradise Lost
Chapter 1: The Researcher Who Designed and Built Me
September 18, 20XX
This is it. The power to create a perfect emulation of life is in my hooves. A robot that truly has free will, the ability to think and make decisions for itself, not bound by any sort of programming or integrated purpose. I had previously succeeded in this task with Blues, but his was due to faulty design interfering with his programming. This one is intentional, a new step towards the integration of robot and pony. If basic pony biology is discounted, it would be impossible to tell the difference between the two.
I based the design for this new robot off of Equestria’s savior, and my son, Rock, better known as Mega Stallion. His bravery and disregard for his own safety gave him the strength to defeat Discord, the God of Chaos. Rock is a loyal robot unicorn, equipped with a plasma weapon known as the Mega Buster. This new robot has an upgraded version, one that I hope he shall never have to use.
Releasing this creation unto the world is not something I can recommend at this time. If it has no programming to ensure that it will not harm living ponies, then I fear the worst. It could go on a destructive rampage, and I doubt it could be stopped. Therefore, I have sealed him inside this capsule to test his morality, a process that will take 30 years. I know that I shall not live long enough to see this through, and I no longer have anypony to take over my work. This robot will be released when the time comes.
I fear his only purpose then will be the world’s new champion.
Doctor Thomas Light
A small group of three ponies was sneaking through the destroyed town of Maresteropolis on a scouting mission. Each of them was wearing green camouflage uniforms, sticking to the shadows to avoid detection. After all, the enemy could be anywhere, watching.
“So, what exactly are we even doing out here? This wasn’t exactly one of the most populated towns in Equestria, and it looks like it’s been cleaned out.” One of the group, a purple unicorn stallion, was complaining to his partner, an orange pegasus stallion.
The leader, an opal pegasus mare, responded. “This isn’t a recovery mission, Sparky. We’re here to investigate claims of some kind of capsule that was found around here. We need to know if it’s a weapon, and whether or not we can use it. We’re on a top secret mission, so I’d appreciate it if you could put a lid on it and walk!”
Both of the stallions stammered. “Y-yes, Lieutenant Lightning Dust, ma’am.”
The trio continued in silence, in awe over the ruins that lay around them. Once a sizeable city, the skyscrapers now had chunks torn out, windows shattered, and some had even fully collapsed. Roadways were torn up, creating gaps where one could easily fall into the sewers below. And ever since the invasion, there were rumors that stepping in the sewage could mutate whoever did. The group took special care not to step in.
Thankfully, once they exited the area that was once populated, things cleared up, with the exception of some leftover debris. The trees were still in good condition, and the grass was still growing green. The only evidence of civilization past that point was a small cottage sitting alone. “Is that where we’re doing our investigation?”
Lightning Dust nodded. “Yes, it should be…” She paused when she noticed the group wasn’t alone, it looked like there were ponies inside the house. “We can’t take any chances. Get ready for a fight.”
The group treaded carefully, trying not to alert whoever was inside to their presence. All of them feared the exact same thing, a species that could take all three of them out working completely alone. If they were here, whatever was inside that capsule was as good as gone.
“Alright, we need to go quietly. I’ll take point, you two follow closely. Watch the sides, and check the house. If you see a threat, neutralize it, but don’t kill it until you’ve confirmed what it is. And if it is…one of those things, don’t hesitate.” Once the other two accepted, Lightning Dust got up against the front door and signaled for a breach. The unicorn carefully used his magic to manipulate the lock, opening the door slowly. But there was no sign of life.
“Stay close. We need to search every room, and stay alert.” None of them were aware of the creature hanging above the doorway, watching them. Not wasting the moment, it jumped down on top of the pegasus stallion, pinning him to the ground. In the second it took the other two to react, the creature took its curved horn and plunged it into his prey. It was blasted off, a coating of blood on its horn. It didn’t take long for the pegasus to go limp.
“Remember, the mission comes first! Keep searching, and don’t hesitate to shoot. We’ve got Changelings.”
The remaining two split up, charging through the house, the unicorn finding himself in a bedroom, two beds adorning it. He turned his back to the doorway, and he heard it shut behind him. Scared out of his mind, he tried to push it open, only to find it held shut from the other side. Panicking, he couldn’t see the Changeling crawling out from under one of the beds. It hissed, and was immediately met with a blast of magic, splattering its green blood across the wall.
He took a moment to breathe after the scare, only to miss its partner crawl out from the second bed and jump onto his back. It held on amidst the scared prey working to shake it off, biting his neck with its sharp fangs. Its saliva paralyzes the prey, and the unicorn went down. Still conscious, he saw the Changeling fire a burst of green magic, and it was over.
Lightning Dust, after taking out two Changelings single-hoofed, found the door that led into the basement. She quietly went down the stairs, and saw the object that made the entire mission a success. Sitting on the floor, next to a desk covered with papers, was a blue capsule. She went to take a closer look, failing to see the Changeling under the table, its black skin blending with the shadows.
Lightning Dust walked up to the glass on the front of the capsule, wiping the fog off with her hoof. She was not prepared for what was inside. Behind the glass was a blue unicorn stallion, wearing a matching armor set, a helmet on his head with a red jewel adorning the front. He appeared to be asleep, in a state of hibernation. Through no action of her own, the capsule door opened, and the pony inside fell to the floor.
The hiding Changeling got tired of waiting and transformed its body into a ball of flaming magic, barreling into Lightning Dust, slamming her against the wall. A little woozy from the impact, she could fuzzily see her attacker prepared for a finishing strike. Having trained herself to work while dizzy, she flew under the attack and pinned the Changeling to the ground. Not ready to give up the fight, it stabbed its horn into her front leg, making her fall to the ground in pain. Taking the chance, it also used its horn to slash across her side, her blood spilling on the floor.
The blue stallion, working to stand himself up, saw the action taking place. Not fully aware of his actions, he subconsciously collected energy in his horn, and blasted it out at the Changeling. Lightning Dust was shocked. Where a dangerous opponent stood a mere few seconds ago was now completely headless. Its decapitated body fell to the floor, not bleeding, its veins sealed shut by the blast.
Lightning Dust couldn’t stand due to agony, and just looked at the pony that saved her. He saw the condition she was in and frantically looked around the room, taking a first aid kit and removing the bandages inside, treating her with them. “Thank you for saving me. Who are you, and what were you doing in there?” Lightning Dust was a naturally harsh pony.
“I…I don’t know. I can’t remember anything. All I’ve got is a basic understanding of the world and my body. There’s nothing else in my memory. So, what was the thing I just killed? And what are you doing, and who are you?”
The stallion leaned down to let Lightning Dust lean on him as the two walked out. “My name is Lightning Dust. The thing you just killed was a Changeling, a vile creature that feeds on love and can change its form into anything it’s seen. They run rampant all across Equestria.”
The stallion was confused. “I’ve never heard of them. They’re common?”
Lightning Dust was confused too. She couldn’t comprehend how anypony wouldn’t know what a Changeling was. Unless…“Do you know what the date is?”
He thought, trying to think of what day it was. “It’s…if I’m remembering correctly, I was sealed in there September 18, 2013. Why, when is it now?”
“It’s 2043. You’ve been sealed away for 30 years. The world’s changed immensely since then. What exactly do you know?”
“There are three races of ponies, the pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies. Equestria is ruled by its two princesses, Celestia and Luna, ponies that can control the sun and moon. The ponies live happy and simple lives, ruled carefully and protected by the Elements of Harmony. Should I go on?”
Lightning Dust sighed. “This is going to be hard to hear, but…everything you’ve got in your head, all your facts, all of that is wrong. The Changelings invaded 30 years ago, taking Equestria hostage. They killed most of the population, and will kill anypony else who doesn’t obey. As for Celestia, Luna, most of the Elements of Harmony, we don’t know what happened to them. Some say they were taken prisoner, some say they were killed, nopony’s sure. We live everyday in fear, and the ponies lost hope. That’s where we come in. I’m part of a rebellion group that fights against the Changelings. Our numbers are growing, and we hope to take Equestria back someday.”
“If these things are as common as you say, I don’t think you’d have enough numbers to put up a fight. And they seem like threatening opponents. How can you trust anypony, when they could be one of those creatures?”
He saw the mare laying on him close her eyes as a tear came down her cheek. “That’s the thing. We don’t, we have to be careful of who we trust. Sometimes they’re Changelings, sometimes they’re traitors, we never know. But…I can trust you, right? You saved me, I owe my life to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I don’t know why, but even when I can’t think of anything else, the one thing I know is to help those in need. I want to fight for justice.”
“Then you’re a friend of ours. I’ll have to talk to my superiors, but I’d like to extend an invitation to join our rebel alliance. Welcome to…the Maverick Hunters.”