//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Redemption: The Legend of the Equestrian Saiyan // by Saiyan789 //------------------------------// Chapter 1: No Rest For The Weary I awoke to the sound of beeping. "Damn alarm," I sighed to myself. I knew what it meant. I turned my head to see a familiar sight outside of the window, planet Vegeta. It had been a month since I had seen it, but I was too tired to care. Without looking, I reached out and lazily began to punch the buttons, which initiated the landing sequence. With the coordinates set and my ship steadily on course to approach the planet, I sat back and closed my eyes for a few more minutes and relived in my mind the events that had transpired over the last thirty days. ------------------------------------ My mission had been simple and straightforward: go to planet nicknamed Alpha 1 by our scientists who found it and kill all inhabitants for Lord Freiza and King Vegeta. As brutal as it sounds, it was routine, really. That was just the life of a low class Saiyan. As a race of alien warriors, it is our nature to fight for glory and to push the limits of our abilities. It’s in our DNA to battle; it’s in our blood. All Saiyans can be readily identified with a few consistent traits – the need to fight, a shock of dark hair, and a tail similar to that of a primate. Yes, a tail. The tail drastically increases our power, but the power cuts both ways so to speak, as it can also be a Saiyan's greatest limitation. If not trained properly, just one grab of the tail can completely immobilize a Saiyan. But the power? That’s where it gets interesting. The tail also allows Saiyans to transform into the mighty Oozaru, a giant ape as big as a small apartment building and extremely destructive. But there are limitations here too. We can only transform into an Oozaru when there is a full moon, or if a Saiyan creates a false moon by sacrificing a lot of its own power. And, the effects only last as long as the full moon is in the sky, or if the tail is cut off. Saiyans have become feared in the galaxy because of their fighting prowess, but there’s something else - the legend of the Super Saiyan. A Super Saiyan is a member of the race whose power is so great, that it can only be maintained in a transformed state. This state, however, is currently unknown to Saiyans because it has not been achieved in over one thousand years. So I guess it’s just that – legend. Because of our immense power, Lord Freiza decided to annex Planet Vegeta into his empire. We Saiyans quickly joined his army because of the promise of glory. We’re mainly used to take over planets for the empire. Usually, teams of Saiyans are sent to 'secure' these planets, but I had a reputation of not playing well with others, hence the nickname Rogue, which I have become quite fond of. This planet however, was more than I could handle. It turned out that the mission wasn’t so routine after all. ---------------------------------- My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I felt my ship suddenly slow followed with jolting stop. Touchdown. I hit the button next to the door and it opened. I detached my harness, and walked out onto solid ground. I felt every step as my muscles protested, and glanced down to see that I was literally covered in dry blood and bruises. No real surprise here. It had been quite a fight. "Welcome back, Rogue. Heard you had fun," scoffed one of the Saiyans who was waiting for me by the door. I simply pushed past him on my way to the hallway, causing him to laugh in a mocking reaction. It wasn’t a hero’s welcome. I walked through the building, and finally reached my destination, my room. I opened the door, and painfully began to remove my armor, then headed into the shower. As the fog of steam surrounded me, and the dried blood dissolved in the water, my mind flew back to what happened on Alpha 1. ------------------------------------ A crowd had formed around my pod's crater moments after I had crashed, and now they could only stare in horror as I began to fly out if it. An evil smirk formed on my lips. "Too easy," I whispered as I extended my had and began to fire my ki blasts at the people below. Many people began to run, screaming. I found this quite enjoyable, as most Saiyans do, but I also felt a little guilt as I looked down at their faces. I quickly shook it off and began to fly towards the city nearby. A job’s a job, I thought. It's either this or no food. As I arrived in the city and began blasting buildings, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I quickly dodged, and was immediately greeted with a loud explosion and a blinding light. I then looked to my right to see that there was a hole in the building next to me where I had been standing just moments before. I then turned to my left to see a man flying towards me. My look of anger at my attacker transformed to a look of pleasure. "Finally!" I laughed, "some competition." ------------------------------------ I felt a blast of cold, which quickly brought me back to the present. My shower water had turned frigid. How long have I been in here? I wondered, as I stepped out to dry myself off. I quickly got dressed in some standard issue black shorts and a white undershirt, then headed towards my bed so my body could continue to repair through rest. As I walked towards my bed, something caught my eye. A man was in my room – and he looked somewhat familiar but also different at the same time. Instinctively I surveyed him in an instant just in case I had to defend myself. He had long, dark hair and looked very physically fit. He also had scars that were visible through his shirt, some that looked fresher than others. He looked like an average Saiyan, but something seemed off. He looked older than the being I thought I recognized. As I approached the stranger, it hit me. That person is a reflection of me in a mirror. "I've changed so much," I whispered to myself, still in shock by my new appearance. I had finally grown into a young adult. As I forced off the shock of this realization, I began to feel my eyes grow heavier. Sighing, I stumbled across my room just to fall onto my bed, exhausted. I was about to fall asleep when I heard a knock on the door. "Sigh, not even a moment of rest" I grumbled, moving towards the door. I quickly pressed the door button to be greeted by a familiar face. "What do you want, Doc?" I asked, obvious annoyance in my voice. Doc looks just an ordinary man, with the exception of two horns in his forehead and bluish skin, hallmarks of his alien race. He is relatively short and constantly wears a white lab coat. Doc is the representative of Frieza and is in charge of examining a small section of the Saiyans, including me, before sending them on a mission. I knew this, and knew what his visit meant... I had another mission. "Sorry to disturb you, Rogue," Doc said, shaking his head with a light smile, "but because of your failure on Alpha 1, we need to send you on another mission." I sighed, "Fine, lead the way." Doc nodded in his friendly yet efficient manner, and we began a short, familiar trip to the prep area. As we entered the area, I took my usual place on the platform, while Doc went to his desk. "Ok, let us begin!" Doc said, pressing some buttons at his desk. "Hmmm, looks like the pod did a great job at healing your wounds" he stated, looking at the chart that hovered over his desk. "You're still are 6'2, so nothing there has changed there. Weight is the same. Hmmm…" Doc began to press a few more buttons, "it looks like your power level has somehow escalated!" I sighed, "Don't you remember Doc? The power of a Saiyan increases after battles…especially after near death ones." The last part I said quietly, feeling embarrassed. Doc didn't seem to notice. "Well, looks like your a year older now," Doc said. Wow, I thought, how could I have forgotten my own birthday? Doc finally looked up and began to stand up. "Alright," he sighed, "We're done here. You’re beaten up but still fit for combat. Let’s get you into your new armor and send you out." I nodded and walked towards the armory to get my gear and began to prep myself for the flight. ------------------------------------ Meanwhile, in the land of Equestria, two ponies - a colt and a mare - were walking up the stairs toward a purple door. The colt was strong and proud – with a blue coat complimented with a blue mane and tail, with two crescent moons as his cutie mark. The mare was softer; a light grey with a mane and tail of mixed light purple and white; her cutie mark had three purple stars. Both had a horn sticking out of their manes, identifying them as unicorns. The colt slowly pushed the door open to reveal a purple unicorn filly inside of the room. She had a dark purple mane and tail with a light purple and a pink streak in it. Her colors reflected her name – Twilight. She was sleeping soundly with her head on a desk. Upon further examination it become obvious that she had nodded off while reading, as her head rested comfortably on an open book. The mare slowly approached the little filly and nudged her softly. "Wake up, my little pony," she cooed, eliciting a moan of annoyance from the filly. "Come on, Twilight Sparkle" said the colt, "today's the day of your audition, you don't want to be late do you?" With that, the filly's eyes darted open, and she was out of the room with a flash. "Come on, Mom and Dad! We gotta go!" yelled Twilight as she ran down the stairs. The two ponies smiled and began following their daughter. When they finally caught Twilight, the filly turned around, beaming as they opened the door and left the house. "Everything is going to change after today!" She said excitedly. If only she knew how right she was, not just for herself, but also for an alien from another planet.