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As promised, a second chapter! Maybe the first of many? One can hope.
Now, without further ado, here's the second chapter.
From Skies Above – Rising Storm
A strange aroma filled Twilight’s nose as she entered the room. Panels and metallic fur nature filled its expanse, much of it damaged and burnt but the heat generated in the impact, those smells filled the rest of the ship, there was something else in here. She breathed in deeply, taking in more of the smell. Something just felt... wrong.
Twilight cantered around the room, searching for the source. The smell got stronger as she approached what she assumed would be the captain’s seat. As she drew closer, an explanation formed in her mind, and the horrifying truth was confirmed when she laid eyes on what lay in the seat. The smell was burnt flesh.
With a groan, Twilight’s face twisted up as she backed away, struggling not to paint the floor with her previous meal. The corpse was a mere shell of what it was, lacking any distinct features except for the general shape. The figure was hunched up, covering its head and torso with its arms, probably in a vain attempt to protect itself from being cooked. It was a truly horrible way to die.
The Captain approached from behind, taking place at Twilight’s side. His face remained the stern statue-like mask that was the norm for most of the guards. He looked at the remains with solemn eyes, but offered no other sign of emotion.
“Poor thing. It would have been horrible to die like that.”
Surestrike nodded his agreement. Twilight waited a moment to see if the Captain had anything else to add, but when the stallion remained silent she trotted off to search the rest of the room, and to be away from the body. The lavender mare made her way to a shiny metallic surface on one of the far walls. It remained undamaged by the flames, and reflected the unicorn’s face right back at her, along with, much to her discomfort, the corpse. She turned away and shuddered.
“Perhaps we should take a look somewhere else?” she asked the guard captain.
He had moved closer to examine the charred body, but stopped and raised his head when Twilight spoke. “Is there a problem?”
“Yeah...” she trailed off, eyes creeping back to the object of her discomfort.
A loud thumping echoed down the corridor the pair had used to enter the chamber. Twilight and Surestrike looked toward the entrance just in time to see a pegasus hurtle through the door. He skidded to a halt and offered a quite salute. “Captain, Miss Sparkle.”
“What is it? Where is the Princess?” Surestrike asked.
“The gryphons have been driven off and Princess Luna has departed to take the alien to Canterlot. I have been instructed to bring you your orders.”
The pegasus guard cleared his throat, first addressing Twilight. “Luna has requested that you be taken back to Canterlot as soon as possible.” He then turned to face his Captain. “Captain Surestrike, your orders are to guard this wreckage until a salvage team arrives.”
“Why are we going back to Canterlot?” Twilight asked.
“That’s for the Princess to explain. Come, we leave immediately.”
*
Luna sat it the back of the chariot, sweat pouring down her brow in amounts just short of a waterfall. The ride was uncomfortable, to say the least, with every slight turn sending her growing headache flaring up again. The alien lay before her, still impaled on the gryphon’s spear. Blood trickled slowly out of the wound, slowed by the Princess’s magic, but not halted completely. It was barely clinging to life, and if the Princess hadn’t been there it surely would have perished.
Luna drained her energy at a phenomenal rate just to keep the creature from slipping away, as it, much to her confusion, was strangely resistant to her magic. She had great difficulty just concentrating on the flow of energy, forcing her to pour vast amounts of her magic just to get results.
The pair of pegasi that hauled the chariot pushed themselves to their limits. Wings aching and muscles burning, the pair were utterly determined. If the past was anything to go by, an alicorn’s emotions are powerful things, and the guards had no wish to risk evoking Luna’s wrath.
Luna took a quick glance at the land below them. Not far to Canterlot now. She realised, Just hold on.
*
One Day Later.
Twilight looked down at the creature in the bed before her. It was truly a sorry sight. Various tubes jutted out of its body, fulfilling tasks that were necessary to keep the alien from passing away in its sleep. Calterlot’s most esteemed medical staff had been brought in to treat it, but all their expertise wasn’t enough to prepare them for the task ahead. Unicorn magic was heavily relied upon in Equestrian medicine, but in this case it was near useless. Merely keeping the creature alive had almost proven too much for the Princess of the Moon herself, who had arrived in a drained state after the ride back to the capital.
Conventional medical spells were out of the question, and the doctors had to rely on more direct approaches when treating the alien. Combined with the near nonexistent knowledge of the creature’s anatomy, the task had been near impossible, and certainly wouldn’t have succeeded if Princess Celestia hadn’t lent her power.
Shortly after arriving, Luna had retired to her quarters to regain her strength at her sisters request, although reluctantly. The doctors had slaved over the battered creature for hours, when finally, in the early hours of the morning, they had announced it to be in a stable condition. It now resided in a sealed off section of Canterlot Castle, being watched over at all times by a small team of nurses.
Twilight had been too excited to sleep, and took the first chance she could to finally see the creature up close. It was a strange thing, its body held the closest resemblance to a monkey or chimp, but still with several major differences. The most prominent of which being its lack of fur. The alien still had hair over much of its body, but it lacked the density of the fur that one would find on a pony. Atop the alien’s head sat a brown mane that had been cut short, being either alien fashion or for more practical reasons, and more short fur around the jaw and mouth. The alien’s face also bore a similar resemblance to most Equestrian mammals, despite the different proportions of facial features, the eyes in particular, which were much smaller than those of a pony.
The alien was bipedal, and stood at an intimidating six and a half feet tall. A very interesting feature was the alien’s hands. Four flexible digits extended from the palm, along with an opposable thumb. The layout reminded Twilight of Spike’s claws, although the alien’s digits were rounded at the end, with only a small nail, much unlike the razor sharp claws of a dragon. The similarities to Equestrian life confused Twilight, as she had always assumed that alien life would be almost unimaginably different. However, this alien was extremely similar to mammals found in Equestria, right down to the creature’s reproductive system. Twilight blushed as the memory of the awkward exchange when she had asked one of the nurses how they knew the creature was male crept into her mind.
A loud cough from behind her caused Twilight to jump. She spun about to find a nurse. “Miss Sparkle, Princess Celestia has sent for you.”
Twilight smiled. “Oh, thank you.”
“A guard outside will escort you.”
*
“Thank you Galik, you may take your leave.”
The gryphon warrior bowed his feathered head respectfully as he finished his recount. Before the scout sat the clan leader, Banewin, flanked on either side by the four clan elders. Several flickering torches lined the walls, providing the only light in the dark room. Menacing shadows hide the elder’s faces under their hoods, even casting themselves over Banewin’s face, giving the gryphon an almost evil appearance. Galik left the room without another word, backing away toward the hardwood door of the chamber with eyes on the floor, unwilling to meet the gaze of his clan leader. As the door slammed shut, Banewin turned to the elders beside him. “Speak your minds.”
An elderly gryphon female, Hyava, spoke first, her raspy voice breaking the silence of the hall. “The creature is truly dead then?”
“So it would seem. Your brother struck the final blow, sire, and died a warrior’s death.” A second elder, Yalek, responded.
“Then why was the Princess so eager to leave in such a hurry, and leave her escort behind?” the elder Kyarth said, “Perhaps this creature survived Aceius’ attack.”
“If it survived the original crash than it is possible. The Equestrians would have taken it to Canterlot.”
“And my brother’ death would have been for nothing.” The clan leader growled.
“With respect, sire, calm yourself.” Hyava said in a soothing tone, “There will be time enough for vengeance, but I believe that there is a larger problem.”
“The Equestrians.” Banewin spat.
“Aye. When Aceius first touched down at the crash site, he claimed it for our clan.” Kyarth began.
Yalek continued. “But the Equestrians have taken what is rightfully ours! They steal our prey, and defile our spoils with their presence!”
“Perhaps this is not wise. The Equestrians will see this as an attack against their nation, and will respond with force.” The elder Maelon suggested.
“Your concern is understandable, but they have already attacked us. They had no right to interfere with our affairs and we should respond accordingly.”
“But this will surely lead to-”
“Enough.” Banewin raised a taloned hand, and the elders clamped their beaks shut in response. “We have allowed the Equestrians to meddle in our affairs long enough. I want a battle group prepared to reclaim the crash site.”
An almost sadistic grin crept onto Yalek’s face, but Banewin hadn’t finished. “But, tell them to avoid civilian casualties. I do not wish to be dragged into a war with the Equestrians.”
“It shall be done.” The elders responded unanimously.
“And Hyava, see what you can find out about our stolen prey.”
The hen acknowledged the request with a slow nod of her head before followed the rest of the elders out of the chamber, leaving Banewin along with his thoughts.
*
It was late in the afternoon when Captain Surestrike watched the incoming chariots break through the cloud layer and descend down toward him. They hit the ground and skidded to a halt, kicking up snow as they went. The pegasi who pulled the chariots unhooked themselves from the vehicles, and the remaining passengers, a mixture of guards and civilians, dismounted. Many stared in awe at the massive vessel that lay broken in the snow, and the captain chuckled at the sight.
A red coated unicorn with bulging saddlebags tore his gaze away from the alien vessel, and began looking between the guards already stationed in the area. His eyes fell on Surestrike, and the unicorn wandered over.
“Captain Surestrike?” he asked.
The unicorn was quite lanky, and a pair of small glasses rested atop his muzzle. His near black mane was a tangled mess, most likely from high winds on the ride over. A quill and parchment cutie mark adorned his flanks. The captain nodded in acknowledgement of his question.
“M-my name is Quill Dipper. I’ve been appointed to lead the researchers on this expedition.”
“I’ve been waiting for you. You can begin setup immediately.”
“Of course, we’re already underway. Now if you’ll excuse me I have some very important tasks to oversee.” Quill turned away from Surestrike, but the Captain stopped him.
“Quill Dipper.” He said sternly. “I want to make it clear that you and your team will answer to me.”
Quill Dipper looked taken aback. “I-I beg your pardon?”
Surestrike frowned. “We’re not in Equestria anymore. This is unclaimed territory full of pissed off, bloodthirsty gryphons and monsters of the likes you have never seen before.” Surestrike leaned forward, coming down to eye level with the wide-eyed unicorn before him. “Your team will do exactly as I say, when I say it. Are we clear?”
The unicorn gulped audibly, and nodded.
“Then you’re dismissed.”
Quill turned away and hastily trotted back to his team. The captain watched him as he left, a slight grin breaking out across his face. How he loved asserting his authority. His ears flicked at another voice calling out to him. “Captain Surestrike!”
Surestrike turned to face an approaching pegasus. His mane was poking out from under his helmet, and the captain could make out slight bags under his eye, presumably making him one of the pegasi who pulled the chariots. The pegasus stopped in front of him and saluted, his body going rigid like a statue. “Lieutenant Silver Wing, sir. My squad is under your command.”
“At ease, soldier.”
Silver Wing relaxed, his wings drooping by his sides. “What are our orders, sir?”
“Simple. Guard the crash site and protect the researchers.” Silver nodded.
“I trust that Princess Luna made it back to Canterlot safely?” The captain asked.
“Yes, sir”
“Good to know.” He said. He had not approved of her decision to leave her escort behind and travel almost completely unguarded. “And what about the alien?”
Silver paused a moment, thinking. “I can’t confirm anything, but I heard that it’s still alive. Luna must have had a hard time keeping it that way, because she looked about ready to pass out when she got back.”
Surestrike was surprised at the news. He had assumed that the alien had sustained too much damage to survive. Well, it did survive the initial crash.
The captain turned his attention back to the weary pegasus before him. “Go get some rest. You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you, sir.” Silver replied, before slowly making his way to a series of tents that had been erected near the damaged vessel. The guards had decided against staying inside the vessel unless the weather forced them. Something didn’t feel right in there.
The captain spent the rest of the evening organising the guards, and laying down ground rules for the new arrivals. As time went on, the wind began to pick up, and dark clouds began to drift overhead. The light was fading rapidly, and snow began to fall again. There weren’t many outside of Equestria that had the weather controlling ability of the pegasi. The longer an area’s weather was left unchecked, the more out of control it became. This could lead to natural occurrences of ‘disaster weather’, like tornados, cyclones and blizzards, not unlike the one approaching the crash site.
The captain sighed. Looks like we’ll be sleeping inside the ship tonight.
*
Cerik watched the ponies fulfil various tasks around the crash site. The gryphon lay in the snow atop a hill overlooking the alien vessel, and, more importantly, the Equestrian camp. A specially designed cloak provided camouflage for his orange-brown fur in the pure white snow, but left his feathers bare, as they were already coloured to suit the environment. Cerik’s gaze followed one unicorn in particular; the one the gryphon assumed was the commanding officer of the ponies. He travelled back and forth between the groups, most likely checking up on the status of the guards and scholars. Every now and then, ponies would appear and disappear in the gap along the alien ship’s hull, some carrying objects, others clipboards and other research equipment.
As the daylight faded, the ponies slowly began to take shelter inside the vessel. A storm was brewing, and it would be more comfortable to wait it out inside the ship than face the high winds and blinding snow. A grin broke out across Cerik’s face. The storm would also provide perfect cover for an attack on the Equestrians. The grin soon faded when the gryphon realised that there was only one entry into the vessel, the hole in its side, and the ponies would no doubt have it well defended.
But the breach is damage, not part of the design. There must be an alternative entrance that the aliens would use. One that the Equestrians didn’t find. Cerik thought.
Only one pony remained outside now, the commanding officer. He surveyed the landscape one last time before making his way inside. The lone pony disappeared into the vessel, leaving the camp completely empty. Cerik still decided to wait a bit longer before taking a closer look. The gryphon noticed the temperature drop, along with visibility in the storm. He breathed silent thanks for his cold resistant body and extremely sharp eyesight before slowly making his way toward the vessel.
However, Cerik didn’t know that he wasn’t the only one observing their prey. Silent eyes watched the gryphon descend into the camp, waiting for the moment to strike.
*
A sense of déjà vu crossed Twilight’s mind as she found herself sitting in the hallway outside the throne room, staring at one stained glass window in particular. As expected, the familiar figures hadn’t shifted, and stayed locked in their poses.
The sound of the throne room door opening grabbed Twilights attention, and the image on the window was soon forgotten. Twilight turned to find her mentor smiling down at her. The unicorn returned the smile, but couldn’t help notice the state of her Princess. Celestia seemed to lack her usual elegance. Her coat did not shine as it should, nor did her mane look as animated as it usually appeared. It was safe to assume that Celestia’s dishevelled appearance was due to exhaustion.
Her mentor’s soothing voice brought the young unicorn’s mind back to reality. “Twilight.”
Twilight responded by rushing up to the alicorn and nuzzling her affectionately. “Princess!”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to speak with you earlier. As you know I was... preoccupied.” Princess Celestia began. “Come, my faithful student, we have much to discuss.”
Celestia turned and set off back into the throne room, Twilight following close behind. The heavy wooden doors swung shut behind them.
“I trust you were not harmed during the trip?”
Twilight shook her head. “Oh no, of course not. I didn’t get anywhere near the fighting, and there were guards with me the entire time.”
“Good. I don’t know what I would do if you were hurt.” She sighed, “It was foolish of me to send you out there. I didn’t realise the gryphons would be so bold as to try something like this.”
“Don’t worry about it Princess, your guards were more than capable enough to keep me safe.” Twilight smiled reassuringly at her mentor, “And besides, we made one of the biggest discoveries in Equestrian history!”
Celestia’s smile grew. “That we did. Tell me, what exactly did you find out there? Aside from our friend, of course.”
Twilight paused for a moment before speaking, briefly thinking back to her exploration of the ship. “The vessel’s design was incredibly advanced. There was so much there, but it was all so confusing. I couldn’t understand any of it. In a way, it was just plain frustrating!” Twilight huffed, earning a small chuckle from her mentor, “But that wasn’t all. There was... a body there too. It was so burnt that we couldn’t learn anything apart from the basic shape of the aliens.” Twilight shook her head solemnly, “It must have been so horrible to die like that.”
“It’s horrible, I know, but these things happen.”
Twilight merely nodded. “I wonder how the other one is going to react if he finds out.”
“Not well, I assume, he will be under enough stress with being alone on an alien world.” The Princess said.
“Do you think he will be violent when he wakes up?” Twilight asked.
“I most certainly hope not, but if he is, we will be prepared.” Celestia sighed, “Although, that is only if he wakes. He may be in a stable condition at the moment, but that could change at any time.”
“I know.” Twilight said. The conversation trailed off for a minute, when suddenly Twilight remembered something. “Spike! It’s been days since he’s heard from me!”
Celestia smiled reassuringly at her student. “Don’t worry, Twilight, I’ve let him know that you might be indispose for a while.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you Princess. I wish I could tell him what’s been happening. And my friends too.”
“Remember your oath.”
“I do, Princess, but I still wish I could just say something. This is just too much to be kept a secret!”
“I understand your enthusiasm, Twilight,” Celestia said, “But we need to be careful about this. There is so much that could go wrong, we have to be absolutely sure of what is happening before we let the public know. The technology of this species is incredibly advanced, and we’ll have to assume that that includes weapons of war. If the public finds out about this too soon, before we have all the facts, there could be mass panic, ponies could get hurt.”
“I understand.” Twilight said, somewhat disturbed about the potential power of the alien weapons.
“Don’t worry, my faithful student, I’m sure everything will work out for the best.”
*
Vaelis’ talons closed tightly around the hilt of his war axe. The gryphon had always kept steel blade sharpened perfectly, to be ready for a fight at anytime. On the clouds around him, the battle group of thirty gryphons cradled their weapons and tightened the straps on their armour. It was almost time.
The scout, Cerik, hadn’t managed to find an alternate entrance to the breach in the hull. There were several areas that looked like access points, but they were sealed tightly, either by the ponies or the aliens. Vaelis sighed. What had originally intended to be a swift and clean removal may evolve into a long siege. The prospect of starving the Equestrians out of the vessel didn’t appeal to the gryphon, as he longed to sink his axe into flesh.
There was hope however. While Cerik didn’t dare attempted to open any of the alien’s access points in fear of revealing his position, he claimed that one in particular looked weaker than the others. Perhaps it could be forced open during the attack?
Vaelis looked around at his warriors talking amongst each other. Each radiated their eagerness to fight. They were under orders to limit enemy casualties, but it had been too long since any of the warriors had been given a chance to participate in a proper fight, and Vaelis knew that fatalities would be inevitable. The gryphon leader raised his weapon above his head, and the other warriors immediately snapped out of their conversations, eyes locked on the axe of their commander.
In a swift movement, Vaelis brought the weapon down. The warriors didn’t hesitate, dropping through the cloud layer and into the storm below. They glided down to the snowfields with ease, the wind having almost no effect on the skilful flyers. The gryphons touched down in the snow, and crept toward the hull breach in a semicircle formation. The noise of the storm drowned out any sound they would have made, and the snow whipped up by the wind masked their approach. Gryphons armed with spears took the lead, using their wings to balance themselves on their hind legs, freeing up their talons to support their weapons. The battle group closed the distance around the breach. Vaelis listened intently, past the wind and clattering of armour, his trained ears picking up the noise he was waiting for.
“...what the hay?!”
Vaelis roared like a lion, his powerful voice piercing the howl of the wind. His warriors joined their voices with his, filling the storm with shrieks and battle cries.
Then they charged.
*
Quill dipper woke to the sound of fighting. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head in an attempt to fight off his fatigue, but to no avail. Without warning, a sudden force yanked on his tail, the shock rudely rousing him from his sleepy state. A booming voice assaulted his ears as he struggled to stand.
“Get up! We’re being attacked!”
Quill became aware of the screams echoing through the halls of the alien vessel. His pulse elevated, and his breathing quickened in pace. He looked around wildly before he met the eyes of a pegasus guard. “W-what’s going on?” Quill stammered.
“Gryphons!” the pegasus shouted, “Get up and get a move on!”
“GRYPHONS?!”
“Come on!”
The pegasus turned and took off down a hallway, not long before Quill struggled on after him.
*
The battle was going exceptionally well for the attackers. Their stealthy approach and the cover of the storm allowed them to quickly overwhelm the breach guards, and they quickly seized control over the entryway, eliminating the need to use the alien's access ways. The guards, despite being caught unawares, were putting up a strong resistance. Their superior equipment and training allowed gave a Royal Guard an edge over a Gryphon Warrior, but the gryphons outnumbered the guardsponies two to one.
Nopony, nor gryphon, could guess the direction the battle was about to take, as four figures appeared out of the storm. They paused briefly, taking a moment to survey the crash site, before hurrying toward the ship.
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