//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Awakening // Story: Hybrid // by BAR0SS //------------------------------// Chapter 1 Perspective change: Daring Do So here I was again. In the middle of a dark, overly humid forest that was situated just south west of the Equestrian border. I was here with at least 50 royal guards from Canterlot and I had an excavation team digging out some ruins that I found a few days back. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I remember that I was evading some zebras that wanted my hide for some reason. Might have to do with that relic I stole from them a few months back, but anyway. I was running and the zebras were almost upon me. I found a cave that was very hidden, and thinking it would be a good place to hide until the heat dies down. I ran and dived into the opening and covered the entrance. Thinking I would be here a while, I decided to explore the cave I just jumped into. As I made my way further back, I got a tingle in my spine. I only ever got this tingle when I was about to make a discovery. I had to make a torch eventually because it was getting increasingly darker. now my path was lit and I could see. I continued my way further down the cave and eventually came across a giant open room. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had just discovered a room full of ancient relics. I walked to one of the nearest building's and I was amazed. Whatever had made these building's had made them to last. They were from as far as I can tell, at least 700 000 years old. I was reluctant, but I knew I had to leave to get a team to dig this place up. By the time I got out of the cave, the zebra group had given up. So I made a bee line to the museum of Canterlot. They would fund my excavation once I told them I had found a precursor site. They had to. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there I was. Back at the entrance to the sight. With Rare Artifact, the curator of the museum. He was an aged grey unicorn with a brown mane and tail, he also had a gold totem as a cutie mark. By about 2PM, the sight had been completely un-covered and the researchers had began exploring and studying every little thing. Rare and I were also exploring the sight as well. We had discovered many things, like this what we believed was a carriage. But it was very strangely shaped and it didn't have a harness to be pulled. We did also discover the odd picture and were able to get an idea of what these creatures looked like. They looked like bipedal, kind of like a dragon, but with skin instead of scales, no tail or wings, and had much flatter faces. And from what we could tell, they all wore colthes for some reason. "Well miss Do. I must say that this is an extraordinary discovery. Its not often you find something that pre-dates everything else on known record" said Rare. I stopped in my tracks. "Pre-dates the known record?!?!" I shouted. That cant be right. The oldest known relic is over 4 million years old. "Why yes. I have used a spell to carbon dated some of these artifacts, and the results say that they're over 17 million years old. Its amazing that this is all still in great condition for its age" Rare said happily. I couldn't believe it. We had just made the biggest find since the founding of Equestria. Except this was a lot older. A lot. "Hey miss Do! Ya coming or not!" Rare shouted to me. I was brought back to my senses to see Rare standing outside of a door to one of the building's doorways, looking back to me smirking. He then turned and walked inside. I had to run to catch up. I caught up to him in a room that looked like a reception lobby. Rare was looking around on all the desks very carefully reading over the sheets of paper. My attention was drawn to a door. This door was different. It seemed to be made of steel and had some smoke blowing through its gaps. Curiosity got the better of me so I want up to the door and put a hoof on it. It was cold to the touch. So cold in fact that I had to take my hoof of as soon as I made contact. What was in here. This door was like the coldest thing in the world. "Hey Rare, get you flank over here now!" I shouted. Soon after, he came tearing around the corner. "Check this door out" I said pointing to said door. "Darn it miss Do. I thought you had gone and hurt yourself" he said scolding me, I just rubbed the back of my head. He then looked back to the door and put his hoof on it and yelped. "Sweet Celestia that door is cold. What could be in here?" "I don't know. But perhaps we should get this door open and find out. You go and get some of the guards. My guess by the look of this door, whatever is behind it could be dangerous, like a weapon or something, it should be seized" I said "That's a good point. It should be quarantined until deemed safe. I would hate to think that we would be like foals with a sharp sword" Rare said turning and exiting back outside. I looked back to the door. Now I just had to figure out how to get it open. I had a knack for this. It would have to be boobie trapped in some way or another, It always is. I just had to figure out the trap was without setting it off. I looked over the door to find the clue that would show me the way, and you know what I found. NOTHING!!! I looked over this door and not a single thing on this door. It was just a flat silver door with nothing on it that stood out in any way. I found a leaver a few metres to the side of the door, and there were lines on the wall to the door. I couldn't be that simple could it? I walked over to the lever and put a hoof on it. I looked back and forth between the door and the lever several times before I finally got the nerve to pull the lever down. There was a huge crack noise followed by the sound of hissing and screeching. I panicked thinking I didn't do it properly. I was then both relived and disappointed to see the screeching was coming from the door opening.That was the easiest problem solving ever. I walked into the doorway and was immediately freezing cold. This was nuts. What did they have that needed to be kept so cold anyway. That and how is it still cold. Its like 1000 degrees and this room is freezing. I looked into the room, the cold biteing at my face, and observed as much as I could. I noticed a few skeletons that looked like they belong to the creatures around the room. But I noticed one particular skeleton that looked like it was lying up against some sort of canister with a black... Thing in its grip, and there were little brass cylinders beside it. I forgot about the cold and very carefully walked over to the large canister. I found out that this 'canister' was the source of the cold as I moved closer. I loomed over it and found a window of sorts on its surface, but it seemed to be covered with frost. I wiped my hoof over the surface and saw something inside. It looked like it was one of the creatures frozen inside. I stared at its face. It looked...sad. I was so mesmerized by its facial features that I failed to notice Rare Artifact and the guards behind me. "Uhh... Miss Do?" asked Rare and I jumped higher than all the times Ahuizotl had scarred me combined. He and the guards tried to stifle their laughter but they were just laughing as hard as they could. Rare put his hoof over me. "I'm sorry miss Do. I didn't mean to scare you like that." "Its fine. Anyway, look at this. I think its one of these creatures that have been preserved in ice" I exclaimed pointing to the canister. His eyes went wide as he to looked inside the canister. "Incredible, but why would they need to freeze this specimen? Surely the had better methods of preservation based on what we have already seen" he said. As he loomed over the canister, I saw a small bench with what looked like a sheet of glass sitting on a 90° angle. The bench had all of these tiny little buttons on it and each button had either a letter or a number on it. I looked at the glass sheet and it had a flashing dot on it. I tried to rub the flashing dot with my hoof before I accidentlly knocked some of the little buttons. Then the most strangest thing happened. Little letters appeared on the screen. It read 'Activate protocall No.7450. Y/N?' I looked at the letters on the screen, then to the at the buttons. It was asking me?. I searched all of the buttons and found the 'Y' button. I pushed that button then the screen changed. 'Beginning thawing procedure! Please stand back!' Uh-Oh. I looked to to Rare Artifact and noticed little lights flashing on the canister. I ran at him and tackled him away from the canister just before a large gust steam blew out of all the cracks in it. "Guard's! Get ready! I think something is coming!" I yelled and they ran back into the room and made a circle around the canister. I could see that the thing in the canister was moving and trying to get out. "Whatever that thing is, do NOT let it near the civilians! UNDERSTOOD!!!" shouted one of the guards. "YES SIR!!!" the rest shouted back. All was quiet after until a loud noise was heared and a hatch began to slide open. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective change: Orion Cold. So cold. All I could feel was my skin being frozen stiff and my lungs not working properly. Some good news however is that I could feel myself rapidly warming up and my lungs and heart started to function again. I also gained movement in my body back too. I tried to open up my eyes. It was a lot harder that it should have been, but I eventually got them open. All I was able to see was white until my eyesight adjusted and I could see a room on the other side of the white. I looked around, but all I was able to see was white minus the strip through the glass. I began trying to push my way out of whatever I was in, not making much progress. I had never felt so weak before in my life. I could hear someone shouting outside. I kept trying to get out until I herd a hissing noise and a hatch opened. After it opened, I fell out and landed on my face. As I lay there, I could my strength coming back to me. What was going on. Why was I in that thing and why was I so weak. Suddenly, I remembered everything. I woke up one day, had a shower, got dressed in my cammo pants and black shirt before putting on my army boots. I remember that I had breakfast then something happened. 4 escorts told me I needed to follow them so I did and they led me to a cold room with a pod. Howard said sorry and I was tranqued then halled into the pod. The so called cryogenic pod. Why did he put me in there. The last thing I remember was falling asleep in the pod. Suddenly, I was rolled over onto my back, expecting it to be one of the scientists. I was shocked to see however what looked like a grey horse looking in my eyes. Is that a horn? Next thing I know, I'm being levitated up and that's when I saw more of these horses. No, not horses, ponies. And all but two seemed to be wearing gold armour and weilding... spears? some of the ponies had hors while others had wings. And some were what I would call ordinary. Except none looked 'ordinary' per say. for starts, their heads were massive and their eyes were even bigger. They also were very brightly coloured. I couldn't move my body. I looked at myself and saw that I had a brown glow. I was turned around to look at the grey pony with the horn again and I saw that his horn gave off a brown glow. I put 2 and 2 together and realised he was using telekinesis to hold me in place. By the feel of his grip, he wasn't very strong with his ability. "Can you hear me?" ... ... ... ... ... ... Did this pony just speak? How the hell did this pony just speak. I looked around to see that they were looking at me, awaiting a response. The grey pony put me down. and released me from his telekinetic grasp. *Sigh* "Well I guess this thing can't understand. Alright guards, can you please keep this thing under a watchful eye and escort it to the camp and cage it" asked the unicorn. Nope, not good enough. I looked around and my eyes fell upon a handgun. A Steyr M9-A1 to be precise. Still in the grip of somebodys skeleton. I looked around to the five armored ponies as they began to close in on me, I planed my escape. I didn't have time to transform into my Hybrid form so I had to do this the fun way. As one of the guards got near me grabbed his spear and reffed it towards me and swung my right arm out clotheslining him. I then turned and broke the spear on another ponies legs tripping him while another pony tripped over him before I kicked him in the head. There was two guard ponies left, and both were too stunned to do anything. Before they could react, I sprinted at them and roundhouse kicked the first one before kneeing the last guard the neck. Check and mate. I ran over to the Steyr and picked it up, dropped the mag and checked the chamber. 5 rounds. I put the weapon in my right leg pocket ant the mag in the left as I looked around. I saw all of the ponies were fine and that's great. I really didn't want harm them but they were recovering and I needed out. I spotted a door and sprinted for it, knocking over some tan colored winged pony wearing a pith helmet and a green vest. Paying no attention to her I continued to run. 'Where the hell am I?' I yelled to myself. I had been all over the military facility I used to call home before and I knew every part of it. This however was completely different. I began running in a northern direction and saw that this facility looked ancient and it was teaming with ponies. I kept running as I was getting looks of confusion. Good thing was they were stunned by my appearence. I was about to make it to the forest when I was tackled from behind. After I had stopped rolling, I quickly jumped to my feet and saw the same tan winged pony from before. She dived at me again trying to grab me by I countered it by grabbing one of her forelegs and wrapping it around her throat like she was headlocking herself and I held the other foreleg behind her. What I didn't anticipate was her wings. She snapped them open and hit me in the face and I dropped my grip. She then turned and kicked me in the gut before punching me in the face. I landed on my back with a thud and she was on me again panting and holding a rusty machete in her mouth. Thinking quickly, I rolled us both over and dissarmed her of her weapon and rolled her on her back and put the rusty blade to her neck. She noticed this and stopped thrashing instantly, pleading with her eyes. As I looked into her dark pink eyes, I couldnt help by ease off her neck and smile before seeing myself in her eyes and frowning again. 'What the hell am I doing?' I asked myself. I stood up, letting go of the pony and dropping the machete to the side. 'I cant kill a living creature. I promised myself I wouldn't ever do that again.' I told myself remembering the day I let my Hybrid form slip control. I was brought out of my emotional to the sound of clinking armour as I was being surrounded. I looked up to see about 50 armored ponies standing around me and the tan pony. "Surrender now and you will be spared!" Shouted one of the armored pony that I clotheslined earlier. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective change: Guard Pony Iron defence "Surrender now and you will be spared!" I shouted to this... this... freak. It had a scuffle with Daring Do, and it was winning. But for some reason it stopped and got up, releasing Daring in the process, looking all emotional. "Guard's! Advance!" I shouted, and my fellow guardsponies started to move forwards, closing the circle around him. What caught me off guard next was that he looked at me and smiled before he started glowing white. The next thing that got me was Daring jumping at it before there was a bright flash of white. When I was able to see again, it was gone, and Daring was gone too. Now this thing had crossed a line. "Guard's! I want 5 pegasi to return to Canterolt and inform Captain Shining Armour that we have an unidentified creature that has abducted Miss Do and has evaded capture. GO!" I yelled. I turned to Rare Artifact. "Don't worry sir. We'll find her and capture that thing" I assured him. "Thank you lieutenant. But you must bring this creature back alive. We need to study it" He told me. "You can count on us sir" I boasted. "Alright guards I want 20 of you to come with me. We're going hunting. The rest stay here and defend this location" I explained. "Yes sir!" 3 minutes later, Myself and 20 of my guards were standing at the edge of the forest. "Are you ponies ready?!" I asked/yelled. "Yes sir" I got in response. I loved that sound. "Alright. Guard's. Forwarrrrd... March!" And we were off on a tracking mission.