Equestrian Sixth

by Sandstorm Inkwell


Lost in Translation

“Ugh,” Jvarn groaned as he opened his eyes to a dull, flickering light. Shaking his head, he realized that he was laying on a bed of hay. Jumping to his feet, Jvarn examined his surroundings. He was in a small room with three walls made of stone and the fourth of iron bars. A cell; he was in a cell. Letting out a growl, Jvarn continued to examine the cell. On two other beds of hay, he saw Kilm and Hayt. Both were still unconscious and still wore their uniforms and flask-vest. To that point, so was he. It looked that the only thing missing were their weapons.

“Kilm? Hayt?” Jvarn asked, cautiously moving to the other two Guardsmen. He kept an eye planted on the open side of the cell, waiting for when their captors came to see if they were awake or not. Kilm's eyes fluttered open as a hand went to her head.

“Wha-? Jvarn? Where are we?” she asked as she got up to a sitting position and groggily looked around at their cell.

“In a cell. Those xenos must have captured us after we passed out.”

“What was that light anyways?” Kilm asked as she got to her feet and approached the bars.

“No idea,” Jvarn replied as he moved to Hayt and shook the man's shoulder, “Hayt.”

A hand struck out and grabbed Jvarn's forearm in a vice grip. A second later, Hayt's eye opened to see Jvarn over him instead of whatever evil his mind had imagined. The grip on Jvarn's arm lessened until the hand fell away.

“Apologies,” Hayt muttered as he yawned and rubbed at his eyes, removing his rebreather as he lowered his hands.

“Get up. We've been captured,” Jvarn stated as he got back to his feet and moved to where Kilm stood by the iron bars.

“They took our weapons,” Hayt observed as he got to a sitting position with his elbows on his knees.

“Glad to see your not on one of your 'fire-highs' Hayt,” Jvarn replied with sarcasm as he looked down the row of cells across from theirs. None of the other cells were occupied.

“Seems strange, doesn't it?” Kilm asked as she motioned to the empty cell across from theirs.

“Indeed, it's almost as if we are the only ones locked up.”

“What I meant,” Hayt interjected as he got to his feet, “is that they only took our weapons. We still have everything else. Entrenching tool, rebreathers, rations, lamp packs, you name it.”

“Apparently they've never seen what an Entrenching tool can do against flesh,” Jvarn stated with a smile as he felt the familiar weight against his right thigh. However, he couldn't shake Hayt's point. Surely they would've stripped them of more than just weapons. Wouldn't they?

Kilm stepped away from the bars and walked back to her straw bed against the far wall. Sitting down with her back against the wall, she opened a pouch on her armor and pulled out the two pieces of the familiar instrument.

“Since we're gonna be here awhile,” she muttered. Putting the pieces together, she placed the mouthpiece against her lower lip. Adjusting her sitting position and grip, she began to blow into the instrument, a tune familiar to the two other Guardsman filling the cell.

“In the darkest hour of night, they pack their bags,” began Hayt, hesitantly joined by Jvarn. Their voices were off-key with the flute but neither paid it heed. This was their song; the song that had played when they had left their homeworld, “They march to fight, under the golden flags. Born to sail, heading to fight in the black seas. Never fail, they will be as brave as any Astartes.”

The flute seemed to wail as it went into a solo of fast flying notes. When the solo ended, the two troopers continued singing,

“Regiments of Veno Six, heading off with nothing but picts. In the service of the Emperor, you will make our existence happier. When you are called to die, remember your cry. Puskai Veno. Puskai Imperiar.”

The cell delved into silence before Kilm began a new tune on her flute. It was just a simple tune, no signing involved. This left the two other troopers to close their eyes, sway to the music, and think of their oceanic home.

“Sister, we think it unwise to try to converse with those... brutes. According to the Guard they were able to dispatch the Changelings with ruthlessness unheard of since...”

“The Nightmare Uprising?” offered Celestia as she watched her sister's head lower in shame. Gently putting a hoof under Luna's chin, she raised her sister's head so that the Night Princess was looking at her, “I have already forgiven you for that. There is no need to still feel shame over the past.”

“Of course Tia. I just wish it didn't come to that in the first place,” Luna explained as she looked at her sister with a thousand year sorrow.

“Me too,” Celestia agreed with a sigh. She then looked at the two Guardspony standing in front of a plain wooden door. An iron latch held it securely shut, “However, we have bigger things to attend to right now.”

Luna nodded as the two approached the wooden door. That Guardsponies came to attention and while one saluted, the other undid the latch and opened the door. All present were startled when the sad cry of a flute echoed from the dungeon halls.

“Who gave them an instrument?” Celestia asked of the saluting guard. His shock had caused him to falter in his salute, but he quickly became as stiff as a statue once more.

“Nopony did, Your Highness. Nopony's been in there since their incarceration,” he reported, his hoof firmly against his brow. Celestia nodded as the sad cry of the flute continued to echo forth.

“Such a sad sounding tune for beings of such ferocity, eh Luna?” Celestia asked, looking back at her sister to see a look of curiosity on her face.

“Indeed sister. Shall we?” she asked while motioning to the dungeon halls with her hoof. Nodding, the solar princess entered the dank halls, her sister following behind her. From the shadows came a Guardspony in plain, gray iron armor, a sword sheathed across their back. This new arrival silently trailed the two Princesses, knowing both that he was unneeded and yet sworn to die before he stepped away from his rulers.

The two sisters walked towards the growing sound of the flute, their curiosity growing with each passing second. When they got to the cell, they were standing side by side in front of the iron bars, taking in the sight before them. The aliens, as they weren't natural to Equus, sat on their straw beds, backs to the wall. Like the reports stated, they appeared to be bipedal in nature with claws on their other appendages. All of them had their eyes closed as the smaller of the three played away on it's flute.

They wore what appeared to be clothes over their hides with armor over that. The dark blue and black coloring made one of Luna's brows go up in confusion. Celestia also looked on in confusion but more for the eagle painted on their shoulder pads. She thought that it'd be safe to assume that this was the emblem of their country. Of course, she began to think of why it had two heads to it. Maybe they were ruled by two leaders like Equestria was?

It was at this time that the solar monarch realized that the flute playing alien was looking up at her and her sister. It did not stop it's playing, however. Celestia watched as it scanned the two mares with what she assumed to be an inquisitive, if not cautious, eye.

The guttural speech that came next caused the two Princesses to jump in surprise.

“There's a xeno standing outside the bars, isn't there?” Jvarn asked as he kept his eyes closed. He was still reminiscing of his youth aboard a HabShip and he did not feel like coming back to the real world. While the HabShips were cramped and the waves of the ocean meant you were always fighting for balance, it was still better than knowing you were a captive of a new xenos race. Especially when it consisted of colorful, talking horses.

“Two, actually,” Hayt replied. Unlike Jvarn, he opened his eyes and peered at the two horses. He was shocked at their height, easily head and shoulder taller than the others he had seen. Where others had just a horn or wings, these had both horn and wings. Around their necks were decorative necklaces and crowns sat upon their heads. Though, what drew most of his attention was their manes. They seemed to move of their own power, waving in a breeze not present. The white coated one had a multi-hued mane of bright colors while the indigo horse had a mane like that of the night sky.

“Detail?” Jvarn asked. Hayt looked over at him. The man still had his eyes closed and his arms crossed.

“Leadership by their regalia. More of a horse stature with self-flowing manes.”

“Self-flowing?”

“Blowing in a breeze that isn't felt by others.”

At this, Jvarn cracked his eyes open and took a glance at their captors. Sure enough, their manes were still flowing of their own accord. Giving a low growl, Jvarn closed his eyes to resume his previous pose.

“Thoughts?” he asked. While this was happening, Kilm didn't stop playing, though her tune took on a more happier note. She also didn't stop watching the two horses standing outside their cell.

“Currently held captive by obviously warp-touched beings of another species. No dedicated weapons at hand. Obvious language barrier,” at this, Hayt looked at their confused faces and chuckled, “We're still alive and not tortured as well. I say that we wait it out and see if we can't escape later.”

“Agreed,” Jvarn stated from his spot against the wall.

“It appears they are studying us, sister,” Luna stated as she leaned closer to her fellow alicorn.

“It does feel that way,” Celestia agreed as she watched the bigger of the three look over the two alicorns. Then, with the sluggishness that would come from it's size, the big alien got to it's two hooves and marched to the bars. The two Princesses found it off-putting that the smaller of the three continued playing it's flute. As if being in the presence of the two alicorns meant nothing to it.

When it got close, Celestia could make out the eagle and parchment on the front of it's beret. How she wished she could read what was inscribed on the parchment. It may have given them insight on where these beings came from. The large being stood quietly, just watching them as the two alicorns did the same. The third being, it's eyes still closed, spoke briefly. The two watched as the bigger one said something back, causing grunts of what they assumed to be laughter from the other.

The big alien then brought up it's claws. It held one flat while using the appendage on one to move over the other. It appeared erratic but, after a few times, a light clicked in Luna's head.

“I think it wants to draw us something,” she suggested, while floating out a piece of paper, quill, and inkwell from her bag. The being hesitated for a second before plucking the items from Luna's magical grasp. It then went back to it's bed and sat in such a way that the paper was blocked from view. The two bigger aliens conversed while the biggest drew.

It wasn't long before it got back to it's feet and approached the two Princesses, equipment in it's grasp. It first offered the quill and inkwell, which Luna took. She noted the flinch and clenching of muscles when she levitated the items. Could this being not be used to magic? Was it abused by magic?

Her thought was cut off as it offered the paper, held in a way that they couldn't immediately see what was on it. Celestia took it in her grasp and brought it up in front of the pair. Flipping it over, their mouth came open in confusion. There, on the paper was a crude drawing of what they assumed to be a group of Changelings. They appeared to have been swallowed by flames. Following the flame, they saw the creature itself with it's strange weapon in it's claws. The weapon was the origin of the flames. Behind the being, however, were what appeared to be ponies. They were cowering and looking in the direction of the being with fear. While the two alicorns couldn't be sure if the fear was directed at the being or the Changelings, they knew what the picture was trying to portray.

They both looked up at the being to see that it had already gone back to it's bed and sat down with it's back against the wall. It had it's eyes closed and it's body moving to the tune of the flute. Even the smaller being, who had watched the two the entire time, had it's eyes closed once more.

“Come sister. I think that is all we will get today,” Celestia stated. She got only a nod from Luna as the ponies beat a retreat from the dungeon halls.

...The shrill cry of the flute followed them until the wooden door swung closed.