CHAPTER ONE
When the little space pod finally landed in the ship's docking bay, they could see the name of the ship for the first time.
'Usg dawnbreaker'
It was a escort vehicle for larger ships, like the planet crackers.
“Its CEC?.” Isaac thought out loud.
“Hey Roarke, you said we needed to repair a military class ship!”
Isaac quickly snapped out his trusty plasma cutter and aimed it at his companion.
“Whoa there nelly!” Roarke exclaimed.
“Whe need this job Isaac! You an' me both know that!”
“Fuck you roarke!” Isaac said in blind rage.
“You dragged my ass on another CEC ship, after everything i've been trough? Don't you think i'm fucked up enough already?!”
Isaac was screaming now, still clanging onto his plasma cutter. His vision blackened in rage.
“Isaac, calm the fuck down! I didn't know!” Tried Roarke, but he knew it wouldn't work. Isaac knows that Roarke knows about the Ishimura, about the Sprawl. Maybe not everything, hell maybe just next to nothing. But he knew something. And Isaac was on the verge of a mental breakdown when Roarke finally seemed able to talk reason into him.
“Isaac, i'm sorry okay? I need you on this one! If we can't finish this job, we'll both get evicted from our apartments!”
Isaac pulled down his plasma cutter.
“Goddamnit roarke!”he said as he put the plasma cutter back in it's holster.
“Let's just get this over with.” He said as he turned around and started to walk to a large steel locker.
As he hovered his hand just a few inches away from the door of the locker, a metallic voice came to life.
“CEC engineer, Isaac Clarke. Acces granted”
The metal door glided open with a soft hiss, and Isaac found himself looking at an standard isseu EVA suit.
As he put on the suit, Roarke made his way to the bridge of the ship, and soon radio checked to isaac.
“Isaac, Roarke here, you copy?
“Loud and clear.” Isaac anwsered.
“Allright, i took place on the bridge. Ready for further instructions.”
“I'm leaving the ship's docking bay now.” Isaac said as he opened the airlock leading to a small waiting chamber. Once the airlock behind him slid shut, the machinery in the room came to life. Slowly but steady most of the air was pumped out of the room. When the room was near complete vacuum, the large metal door in front of Isaac slid open slowly, leading to the vast nothingness of deep space.
Isaac, now weigtless, jumped into space and soon found the little thrusters in his boots and shoulders working, propelling him towards the back of the ship.
“Roarke, i'm in position. Release the maintenence hatches.” Isaac said, followed by a brief “copy yer last.” by Roarke.
The large hatches came to life, and trew up a large cloud of dust while they opened.
“Christ, how long ago did this wreck get it's last maintenence check.” Isaac muttered to himself.
After a good 20 minutes of digging and searching through the ship's outer engine cores, he finally noticed the shock space drive. It didn't come as a surprise when the device appeared completely fried.
“Roarke, i got a visual, im going to get it out now.” Isaac said.
Roarke didn't respond.
“Roarke! You there?”
“Huh? Whaddaya want?” Came the response.
Isaac, clearly irritated by this raised his voice a little and slowly repeated; “I said that i found the shock space drive, and i'm going in to get it out now.”
“Oh, yeah. Roger that.”
“Asshole..”
With a small thrust from his boot's rockets, Isaac flew to the device.
The device was completely destroyed. Loose wires wrinkled around the surface of the housing.
Everything that could be melted, had been melting away.
The only things that looked like they survived where the frame and the housing.
Isaac got it out way quicker than he expected, and he deposed of it by taking it in his inventory.
He got the new shock drive out from his inventory, and started installing it.
~ ~ ~
“goddarmid, Isaac really crossed tha line t'day.” Roarke mumbled to himself.
“It's about time he got some sort o' payback, ahm only helping by takin' him on this job.”
His radio startled him. “Roarke, i'm in position. Release the maintenence hatches.
As he got track of the situation, Roarke was quick to anwser.
“Copy yer last.” He said, as he typed the commands to open the hatches in the main console.
After checking if all the responses where okay, he sat back and lost himself in thoughts of how to get Isaac a proper payback for his earlier actions.
After a short while, the thoughts consumed all of his concentration.
He didn't even notice Isaac when the message came in.
“Roarke i got a visual, i'm going in to get it out now.”
….
“Roarke! You there?”
Roarke snapped back to reality with an very clever “Huh? Whaddaya want?”
He couldn't help but hear the irritation in Isaac's voice.
“I said that i found the shock space drive, and i'm going to get it out now.”
“Oh, yeah. Roger that.”
He quickly found himself thinking of some sort of revenge again.
“That's it!” He exclaimed.
“I'll just give the shock drive a small thrust when he's installing it, that'll giv 'm a good scare! With li'll luck he'll even get shocked!”
“Hey Isaac, you almost done there?” He radioed to his coworker.
“Yeah almost, i still need to rewire some parts but then we'll be good to go.”
“Now is perfect!” He said to himself, as he typed some commands in the terminal and gave the shock drive throttle a small push.
When nothing happened he pushed the lever a little further, but again nothing happened.
Now with a mind full of frustration upon seeing his plan for revenge and a good laugh crumble, he gave the lever a final push, leaving it in full shock.
Nothing happened at first, but half a minute after his hand left the lever, a bone crushing explosion could be heared, followed by a sound so high in pitch that he felt his ears starting to bleed.
“What the fuck happened!?” He shouted as he grabbed his head to protect his ears from total destruction.
“Isaac come in!”
No response.
“Isaac where the fuck are you!?”
Still no response.
“Isaac! This is no time t-”
He was cut off by another explosion, this one coming from the terminal just inches away from his body.
The impact shattered some of his ribs, and send him flying through the room, until he crashed into the wall and landed on the floor with a loud thump.
“Gaah! What in tarnation..”
He clanged onto his broken ribs, as a pool of crimson formed around his body.
That's when he finally noticed the pieces of shrapnell in his legs and lower body.
A particulary large piece of the metal panneling of the floor stuck out of his belly.
“Fuck! I don't wanna die! Isaac,come in! Ya need ta help me!”
As his radio played out a soft static, he lowered his head into the growing pool of crimson on the floor. He silently wept as he found himself immobilised, slowly dieing and alone on a small space ship, bathed in his own blood.
“Isaac...a'm sorry, i was just tryin' ta prank ya, that's all...”
~ ~ ~
It was a nice day in Ponyville. Celestia's sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was almost noon.
There was not a single cloud in the sky, and Applejack praised the weather pegasi for that.
She was on her way to the market with her brother Big Macintosh, who was strapped to a large cart filled to the rim with delicious apples.
“ 'Tday sure is nice, aint it big mac?”
“Eeyu-”
“INCOMING!”
Applejack almost got away from the speeding cyan blur.
Almost...
The impact send her and the blur flying trough some bushes, and Applejack yelped when se realised what just happened.
“Rainbow! what the hay?"
The blur, that now appeared to be a cyan coated pegasus with a rainbow mane, looked more dissapointed then hurt.
“Awh buck this! If i can't learn that new trick they'll never accept me for the young fliers competition!” Rainbow said with a voice full of aggression.
“I'm terribly sorry AJ, but i need to get up there and practice. So uhm.. see ya!”
She left with break-neck speeds, leaving a cloud of dust on the ground.
“It's allright sugarcube, jus' don't forget that picknick we planned this afternoon will ya?”
She tried to shout after her, but she was too fast and probably didn't hear her anymore.
“Hey big mac, ya okay?”
“Eeyup”
“Good let's get goin' then”
~ ~ ~
When the two earth ponies finally entered the market, some ponies where already bizzy preparing their stands for the upcoming day.
One pony in particular got her attention.
“Hey there Carrot Top! Whut 'r y'all doin' up here so erly? I thought ya didn't like mornin's.”
applejack said, waving her hoof in greeting.
“Hiya applejack, Big Mac! Good to see you again!” She emphatized the greeting with a smile so warm, it practically could have melted anypony that stood in her near ficinity.
“I'm up here so i could repair my stand, since it was smashed by something last night. Havn't you heared?”
“Heared whut?” Applejack cocked her head.
“Well nopony really knew what it was, some thought it was some monster coming from the everfree, but it didn't look like any manticore or timberwolf i've ever seen...”
Carrot Top tapped her chin with her hoof, seemingly thinking hard.
“It was very large, and it walked on just two legs if i remember correctly. It was almost one of those things the myths talk about, you know?”
“Well ahm mighty sorry tha hear all o' that.” Applejack said.
“If me and ma brother here can help ya with anythin' just ask. Isn't that right Big Mac?”
“Eeyup”
They both smiled at the mare.
Knowing that they wouldn't take no for an awnser, Carrot Top sighed once then replied.
“Well,if you really insist, i could use some help putting up some planks. But only if you really want to.”
“Sure thang, sugar cube!” Applejack said as Big Mac got himself loose from the cart he was pulling.
They both trotted over to Carrot Top's stand and started working.
~ ~ ~
-12 Hours earlier-
“FUUUUUU-GAH!!” Isaac was cut off when he hit a tree, losing every last bit of air that still remained in his lungs.
After a solid 10 minutes of coughing and trying to get some air back in his lungs, he finally got a good look at his injuries.
He broke maybe a rib, but nothing a small health pack couldn't handle.
He guickly absorbed one in his rig as he started getting back on his feet.
“What the hell just happened!?” He asked seemingly no one
“Roarke? “ Nothing.
“Roarke, you there?” He tried, but the static in his ears showed that he was out of radio range...from absolutely everything.
After retrying this several times, he conjured it of no use, and started to take in his surroundings.
He was in a very dark forest, with trees and plants he never saw before. But yet again, he was an engineer, he didn't really know much about plants. After looking at some plants and trees, he decided that he no longer was on earth, or any of the colonised planets for that matter. Those where almost always barren wastelands.
He looked at some of his suits stats, and saw that nothing was broken beyond repair, all he needed was a workbench and some tools and he would be good.
After pondering what to do, he decided to just walk in a random direction, since he had no idea where he was. The planet was sustainable of life, so if he just kept walking, he was bound to find some form of inhabitation somewhere right?
With that in mind, he picked a direction and started walking.
The walking lasted for what seemed like hours, and night was already starting to fall.
“Shit, how long have i been walking?” He asked, now setting his mind to survival.
“Hmm, this planet looks like it has some life forms on it, i don't want to be the meal of the first thing i find. I need to make camp somewhere. Somewhere safe.”
After looking around for a couple minutes, he found what looked like a large castle, only it was really wierd proportioned and partially collapsed.
“Well, that leaves no question about it, there must be some kind of civilisation here.” He thought out loud.
Thinking out loud was a big mistake..
ROAAARR!!!! The enormous creature seemed to jump out of nowere, landing on al fours as it stared pure death at Isaac.
It looked like a lion, only with a scorpion-ish tail and wings that seemed to be pulled of a bat.
“Gah! Shit!” Isaac shouted as he pulled out his plasma cutter and fired a shot.
The beam of hot plasma cut through the tail effortless, cutting it clean off.
The creature cried in pain, as it turned around to see it's tail laying on the ground in a large puddle of blood.
This made the creature even more furious, and it swifly turned around and jumped to Isaac.
Isaac however, had already anticipated this, and shot a few beams of boiling plasma into the creatures left wing.
It tumbled down crying in pure agony, and hit the ground with a bone shattering thud.
As Isaac walked over to confirm the kill, he saw the creature still breathing. As it lay motionless on the ground, soaking in a big puddle of crimson.
One of isaac's shots seemed to have penetrate the creature's chest, and blood was pouring out the burned hole. Isaac swiftly shot the creatures neck 3 times, completely severing it's head from it's body.
It was now that Isaac noticed that night had already fallen, and he decided that he would spend the night in the castle's ruins. He had nowhere else to go, and it seemed to still have some intact rooms.
As he walked closer to the castle, he was surprised by the size of the thing. It was way bigger up close, only the doors where a bit small.
After finding a room wich was mostly intact, he made himself a bed of some leafs and grass as he drifted off to sleep.
~ ~ ~
Isaac..... I miss you Isaac. I've never wanted to leave you. But you made me..... You insisted....
Isaac, you killed me.... I loved you so much, and you send me on that suicide mission.....
You can make us whole again Isaac... Listen to the markers...Listen with your soul.....
Make us whole... make us whole... make us whole... make us whole... make us whole.... MAKE US WHOLE!!
“GAH!” Isaac snapped out of his sleep, panting heavily.
“Every fucking time!” He shouted, throwing a rock to a nearby wall.
Some sunlight seeped in through the cracks in the walls, and isaac got up.
As he stepped outside, he made his helmet come up again, wich responded with some clicks, ending in a loud hiss.
As he walked into the forest again, he came across the cracass of the monster he had killed the night before.
“Is that thing, a.. A manticore? No, that can't be. Those are only miths, right?” he asked himself.
He tried to walk away, but he kept staring at the mythical creature.
“Where the hell am i?” He muttered under his breath.
No response came, and he finally found himself able to walk away.
He decided thet he would travel in the same direction as the day before. It has led him to some kind of life, so there will be definitely more along the way.
“Let's just hope that i won't find one of those things again..” He thought.
After a solid 2 hours of walking, stumbling, falling and having to cut through dense areas, he could see what seemed to be a rather strange village up ahead.
“At least this looks populated” He once again muttered to himself.
As he walked near the village, he looked in one of the houses windows.
What he saw almost made him faint.
“Is that...a horse!?”
“Wait, why does it have wings?” He looked closer, when his metal helmet made contact with the glass of the window. Emitting a loud 'thonk!'
The pony inside finally noticed him, and emediately began to whinnie in utter terror.
“GAH! Fuck!” Isaac said, as he lept away from the window, stumbling over something that looked like a market stand. Well it used to look like that, it completely collapsed under his weight, making as much noise as wood can make.
“Shit!” Isaac shouted, as he got up, and turned to run through the town, back to the forest.
As he enters the forest, he collapses his helmet back in his suit to have a better view of his suroundings.
As he kept running, he turned his head to see if something followed him.
Nothing seemed to follow, so he turned his head back again.
He was just quick enough to see the branch before it hit him square in the forehead.
Isaac got knocked out instantly, and now lay on the forest floor, a big wound in his forehead gashing blood.
~ ~ ~
After the market was finished, Applejack turned to her brother.
“hey Big Mac! Can ya shut down tha stall fer me? I gotta go see twilight about this monster thang.”
“Eeyup” her brother said as he nodded.
“Thanks brother, i owe ya.” She then proceeded to gallop to the big tree in the center of the town.
“Oh hey Applejack! What's up?” Twilight asked her friend as she let her in.
“Well, Carrot Top said she saw some monster destroyin' her market stand. An' it was nothing like any monster from the everfree. Ah think we shud investagate!”
“Oh, that sounds pretty serious, did anypony get hurt?” Twilight asked, a concerned look on er face.
“No not that ah know of” Applejack repleid. “But that thang is dangerous! We shud make sure it's locked up r something!”
“Well, did you know where it went?” Twilight asked.
“Carrot Top said she saw it running into tha everfree again, but she also heared that thing fallin' to tha ground! She didn't dare to go get a look, but we will. Aint that right twilight?”
“Well...allright. But get the others first, we're not going alone. I'll write a letter to the princess informing her about all this.” She flashed a small smile to applejack before turning around.
“SPIIIIIKE!!”
As on clue, a small purple dragon appeared on to of the stairs.
“Whatsthemattertwilightyousoundedlikeyouwhereindang-WHOA!” He tripped on his way down, making him tumble down the stairs, landing face first on the ground.
“Why always me?” He asked no one in particular as he got up again and faced Twilight.
“So, what can i do you for, Twilight?”
“I need you to write a letter to the princess” Twilight said, still lightly giggling from spike's dramatic entance.
“Will do!” Spike said as he pulled a quill and paper seemingly from nowhere.
~ ~ ~
As the six mares walked out of Ponyville, they stared at a very large, dark forest.
“Okay girls, lets do this!” Rainbow Dash said as she darted forward.
The rest quickly followed, but they didn't need to run very far.
“WHAT THE HAY IS THAT!!!” Rainbow screamed, pointing a hoof at the body laying on the ground.
As the others got to rainbow, they al gasped in shock. As they stared at the thing, It led out a loud groun and began to move again.
Twilight was first to react and reached out with her magic, levitating the entire creature several feet of the ground.
It seemed to be shocked by this and started to scream in some wierd language none of the ponys could understand.
“What is it trying to say?” Rarity asked Twilight.
“I have no idea, i can't recognise the language at all!” Twilight responded.
“Ya'll send that letter to tha princess when i was gatherin' the girls now did ya?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah, the princess should be here in a couple of minutes.” Twilight said.
Just as she finished the sentence, a large bright flash filled the forest, and a large white alicorn was suddenly standing next to the ponys.
“Princess” rarity said, as they all bowed to show their respect to the royalty. Twilight did so too, never releasing her grip on the creature that was now wildly trying to get out. Shouting in a very strange language.
“Please, rise my little ponies. This is no time for formalities.” As the words left her muzzle, all the mares rised again.
“Now twilight, i assume you found this so called monster?” She said, looking at the creature in Twilight's levitation field.
“Yes princess, but i sadly have no idea what it is. It seems to speak in a language that i cannot understand.” Twilight said, a look of dissapointment on her face.
“Do you mind showing it to me?” the princess asked, as Twilight hovered the creature closer to her.
“Ah, i'm afraid that this is way more troublesome than we first thought, my little ponies, you see, this creature is known as a human, and i am afraid that it is not from our world.” All of the mares gasped upon hearing the revelation.
“But where is it from then?” Twilight asked.
“I don't know, Twilight. But i do know a spell that can help us understand it. we need all of the elements for this. Are you all ready?”
They all nodded..
aA a bright flash filled the forest again, all the ponies dissapeared.
~ ~ ~
“Fuck... what happened..” Isaac thought when he woke up.
As he tried to stand up, he noticed something wierd. Where his hand used to be was now a..hoof?
“What the fuck!?” He shouted as he stared at his body. He seemed to be completely transformed into one of those ponies. Even his suit was still on him, but it was also transformed to fit a pony.
Isaac paniced. “What the fucking hell did they do to me? Where the hell am i? What the hell am i?” His mind reeled with questions, as he heared a door on the far side of the room open.
He quickly tried to stand, but found out that ponies are no bipedals the hard way, and he imediately fell down again.
“Gah!” He growled as he landed on the hard stone floor.
As he looks up, he saw the little purple unicorn again. “What did you do to me!” Isaac demanded,as he stands up, now on all fours.
The purple unicorn seemed to be startled by this, but continued in the room. As she left the doorframe, the rest of the ponies followed.
Isaac now stared at a group of six of those things.
“What the fuck are you!” Isaac tried desperate, this seemed to have some effect however.
“We where going to ask you the same question” The purple unicorn said.
Now it was Isaac's turn to be shocked. “Did, did you just talk!?“ He said, pointing a hoof in the unicorn's direction.
“Yes i did, why is that so surprising to you?” She said, cocking her head a little in confusion.
“Fuck this, get me out of here!” Isaac demanded as he took out his plasma cutter and aimed it at the unicorn.
“Uhm..sir?” This time the voice was coming from a butter-yellow pegasus with a pink mane.
“I've never seen anything like you before we turned you into a pony, do you mind telling me what you where? I-if you don't mind that is..” She cowered behind her mane and shuffled a hoof on the stone floor.
Isaac, now calmed by the sheer cuteness of the creature, put his plasma cutter away and sat down.
“Well, i am, or was, a human. Before i got turned into, whatever the fuck i am now.”
“Well, right now, you are an earth pony. At least under that suit you are. But i've never heared of a human before” The purple one said.
“Do y'all have a name?” An orange one with a blond mane and a cowboy hat asked..
“Isaac Clarke” Isaac said bluntly. “And you are?”