//------------------------------// // A New Ally // Story: A Cybernetic Life // by AxtontheMechanist //------------------------------// Please Note that Zero (as of the recent chapters, is currently in a recharge coma due to his extremely difficult transformation in the previous chapter(s) ). Hence, the chapter is in third person. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Trixie sat on the beach by Zero, worry worming its way into her heart as she checked everything was working in him; she didn’t really know, it was just something to occupy herself from her avid and worried thoughts. The beaches of Equestria were nothing like those of the Griffin Kingdom; these beaches were made of lifeless, dull and smooth basalt brick and stone that didn’t even shine in the light; if anything, this beach absorbed the light. Not that the citizens minded; they spent most of their time working, training or just earning money to get by for the time being. Nearby sat Hammerfist, sharpening some weapons and bending the metal used from Zero’s recent transformation to be more useful; sweat gleamed on his forehead as he worked away, using a hammer to bend the metallic items into an applicable tool or weapon. His muscles bulged as he worked away, the overcast weather making him seem a very powerful being indeed. A small distance away, Vinyl and Octavia (along with Fenrir and Pipsqueak) were discussing what would, or could, happen next; their conversation was deep and insightful (which proved to be confusing for Pipsqueak, who only added the odd comment). A few hours passed, and the overcast weather stayed the same; the time seemed to stop in the area for the small ragtag group there as they busied themselves. An hour Later, RedBeak Beach... The group was huddled round a fire, Zero placed nearby Trixie and Hammerfist as they chatted away the cold and gloom that had begun to surround them. A villager from the small settlement saw them sitting there and rushed over from her house. “What are you idiots doing?!” She hissed through clenched teeth at them as she stormed over, catching them by surprise. The group looked at the women, stupefied as to why one of the natives would be so outraged to have them on the beach; she was a woman in her mid-twenties, with stunning looks and emerald green eyes. Feathered wings adorned her back, not unlike a cloud-folk of Cloudsdale; they were white, tinged a little with purple, to match her long and straightened out hair. She was rather tall and thin and was dressed in traditional Griffin Land Leather armour. “Excuse me?” Trixie stood up, undignified by the sudden scolding “If you haven’t noticed, we were just having some fun whiling the time away, until you came along!” She snapped angrily at the Griffin verbally, who took a step back, flabbergasted by the venom in the mercury silver and azure haired woman’s voice. Hammerfist grunted to himself, not wanting a fight to break out between the two enraged females. “You two, shut the hell up” He turned to the Griffin lady “Sorry for my friend’s hostile behaviour, we’ve just been through quite a bit and we’re all very worn out. Mind telling us what the problem is?” Mollified by the Minotaur’s refined language (that of which he learned in his time spent with Luna), the Griffin smiled and brushed some of her snowy white hair from her face. “Well, since you asked so nicely” The woman sent a pointed look at Trixie, who harrumphed and looked in the opposite direction “My name is Celia Beaks; I’m the daughter of this settlement’s mayor. Of course, the ones who make the big decisions are those in the capital of this lovely country.” She laughed harshly, sarcasm thick in her voice “Mainly though, it’s the Council of the Wise who call the shots nowadays. Ever since the Queen and King have fallen sick, the Council has been enforcing laws and rules that have driven this race nearly into Poverty; anyone who doesn’t comply by these rules are killed or tortured by the Council’s BlackCloaks. They’re Ruthless men and women who are the epitome of sadistic. Basically, if you have any happiness in public, they’ll burn it, and then stamp on it.” She stood there, while the small group of adventurers took the information in, mulling it over. Of course, their reverie was interrupted by the sounds of heavy footfall and a yell of “I think I heard something! BlackCloaks, with me!” and the sound of running. Celia looked frantic and quietly hissed at them “Come with me if you want to live!” before running off toward a fairly large house’s back entrance. Hammerfist was quick to pick up their supplies and Zero, while the others quickly stamped out the fire and ran out of the clearing after the Griffin woman. They entered the opulent house, through the servant’s entrance, where the quickly slipped into the living room. Outside, the muffled sounds of the BlackCloaks searching for any illegal immigrants to their country were heard, and the room was filled with tension as to what would happen. Eventually, the sounds of them walking away sounded outside the house as the BlackCloaks muttered angrily to themselves, wanting to have at last one person to torture that day. The whole group relaxed and Celia, who was busy talking to her father (who wanted to know why a bedraggled group of adventurers had intruded on his house) sighed in relief and smiled. The man walked forward; he was clothed in silken embroidery (no doubt expensive stuff) and was an old man, around 40-50 years old with a look in his eyes that practically yelled that he was suspicious of the group. “So” The man chuckled “What are a group of adventurers doing in my house?” He grinned, putting the others at ease “You could’ve at least taken your shoes off.” Celia, who noticed this, ushered the others to do so; they complied, relieved that their bodies finally had a chance to rest. The night was quickly approaching, so the man (who revealed himself to be called Mayor Beaks (Although he insisted on us calling him Fred), allowed them to stay the night. He appointed a small portion of his guards to (obviously) guard the group while the stayed in a few guest rooms, marking them down as ‘Friends of the Family’. Midnight, RedBeak Manor..... Trixie lay awake in her room as the moon lay cradled up in the sky, serene and silent as ever. She got up from her bed, walking over to the window; in the moonlight, she could easily be mistaken for a Maiden of the Moon (a sect of religious women dedicated to protecting the moon and any artifacts/people related to it). She sighed, her eyes swimming with sadness in the pale beams of reflecting light that was the Moon’s, as she thought one thing and one thing only, her head bowed. ‘Zero... please wake up, I need you.’