//------------------------------// // IV. Fray // Story: From Skies Above // by Sparklight //------------------------------// MLP FiM is owned by Hasbro. All characters belong to their respective owners. From Skies Above – Fray Valren’s eyes swept back and forth across the abandoned camp. Around him were the other ‘lesser’ warriors who guarded the breach. There was still no sign of Avlyn, and the young gryphon had already surpassed the point of worry. He now sat and kept watch over the camp, his mind formulating possible reasons for his companion’s disappearance. “What are you doing?” a gruff voice spoke from behind Valren, snapping him from his trance. He turned to face the gryphon that he recognised as Jyork. “I think there’s something out there.” He gestured out to the snowfield with his claw. “And I think your eyes are playing tricks on you.” Valren frowned. It didn’t please him that his companion couldn’t see the obvious. “Then where is Avlyn?” The other gryphon shrugged, giving of the impression that he didn’t care. “Maybe he got scared. Ran away.” “Are you blind?” Valren growled. “He was itching to fight more than any of us. There is something out there and he saw it. I don’t know what possessed him to head out there alone, but whatever it is, it’s dangerous.” “Well, if you’re so sure of it then why don’t you go out and take a look?” “Because that’s what Avlyn did.” A shout from the breach cut their conversation short. “Get ready! Something’s coming!” The gryphons jumped into position around the breach, weapons drawn and ready to fight. Several took their places on the roof of the ship, armed with crossbows and spears. They stayed silent, only the howl of the wind sounding through the snowfields. Suddenly there was sound. An almost inaudible thumping. A gryphon risked peering inside. *BANG!* With a loud screech he was flung backwards in a spray of red mist and gore. A dark silhouette appeared in the breach, followed by another. One stepped forward and fired. The weapon thundered, spitting small flames from its mouth as the ground in front of the gryphons erupted with blasts of snow. The defenders fell back, and the aliens pushed forward. Valren scampered backwards, unsure of how to approach this fight. The aliens slowly made their way through the breach, deadly weapons trained on the ring of gryphons around them. None of the warriors charged, and the creatures held their fire as they proceeded into the open. Two more appeared behind the first two, one was limping badly and leaning on the other for support. They stuck to the side of the ship, warily watching the gryphons as the escaped. They even spotted the gryphon warriors on the roof of the ship, ruling out any chance of a sneak attack. With their backs to their destroyed vessel, the creatures slowly shuffled their way away from the gryphons. Valren watched them disappear into the storm. He longed to chase them, to bring himself the honour of slaying the beasts and avenging the death of his comrade, the honour he felt he deserved, but he knew better. A quick glance toward the other told him that they wanted the same thing. A runner was sent to find Vaelis and notify him of the creature’s escape. With nothing else to do, the other warriors returned to their posts, despite knowing that the Equestrians would no doubt have been handled by the warriors inside, else they would have attacked already. Valren couldn’t help but to keep looking back out into the storm. The creatures were still out there, and he had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last appearance they would make. * The alien marched steadily toward the line of guards, his writhing shield still held firmly in his arms, and his makeshift weapon poised to strike. The guards stood firm, undisturbed by the alien’s confidence in the effectiveness of his hostage. Rainlight knew what he was trying to do. As he continued on, the guards would have to back down, else risk her captor attacking them, or even her. She trembled in the biped’s arms, longing for the comfort and security of the bed she had left that morning. The guards held their ground, unblinking eyes locked on the biped. The alien was unfazed by the guard’s defiance. He kept his pace, steadily approaching the armoured wall of equines. Ten meters. Seven. Rainlight swallowed, trying in vain to dislodge the lump in her throat. Five. She clamped her eyes shut, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “NOW!” A bright flash of light flared up in the alien’s hand, completely enveloping his improvised weapon. With a powerful tug, the magic wrenched the makeshift blade from his grasp, cutting through flesh and breaking the shard in two. Rainlight felt the familiar touch of magic cover her body as she was unceremoniously ripped from the shocked alien’s grip. She yelped loudly as she landed on the marble floor with a loud thud. The alien now stood naked and alone before his enemy, a deep cut in his hand bleeding furiously. His eyes darted between his injury and the guards. The closest guards seized their advantage, leaping toward the confused biped. The burly guardsponies forced the creature to the ground, using their weight to keep it pinned, but the alien still had some fight left in him. He let out a mess of unintelligible shouts before curling the digits on his right arm into a tight ball. Swinging the appendage, he slammed it into the exposed throat of one of the guards. The pegasus coughed and wheezed, and the alien was able to force the guard off before more stepped forward to subdue him. “Bring the shackles!” Rainlight watched a unicorn bring forth two sets of iron shackles. The restraints were made up of two clasps chained together to limit mobility. Several guards held the struggling creature in place as the unicorn clasped the irons around the creature’s limbs, one pair on his legs and another on his arms. The clasps, being designed for ponies, were slightly wider than the alien’s arms, but it would still be a struggle to escape. Rainlight realised that a pegasus guard was standing before her, waiting for a response to a question she must have missed. She blinked before speaking. “I beg your pardon?” “I said: Are you alright?” The unicorn mare nodded repeatedly. “Y-yes, just a bit shaken up.” “Ma’am, you’re bleeding.” She could feel a warm liquid running down her neck. Rainlight raised a trembling hoof and rubbed her throat and looked to find a small smear of blood staining her pale blue coat. Just a cut. Probably from the glass. “Do you need help?” “No, no. I’ll be fine. I am a doctor.” This wasn’t the first time a patient had acted aggressively toward Rainlight, however this was her first time being held hostage. The mare turned back to the alien. The guards had moved away, the creature now lying restrained on the floor. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths, and he tested his bonds. The alien’s face was twisted into a scowl, glaring menacingly at anypony who got close enough, and his right forearm was stained red with blood from the wound, but he pulled away violently from any attempt to help. The guards eventually resorted to holding him down once again long enough to dress the injury. Heavy hoof falls announced the arrival of more guards, accompanying Princess Luna. The alien also noticed her arrival, and his gaze locked on the princess, who in turn met his eyes with her own. They stared at each other for a moment before she spoke. “Sergeant?” “Your highness?” “Take him to the dungeon, I believe that will be a safer place for our guest to stay.” * Celestia’s eyes darted back and forth across the letter, her eyebrows slowly slanting down into a frown. Upon its completion, she shut her eyes and exhaled loudly before levitating up an empty parchment, quill and inkpot. The quill dipped into the pot of ink before scratching hastily away on the parchment. It took less than a minute for the message to complete, and the Princess swiftly sent it away in a flash of light, illuminating the Princess’ darkened quarters for an instant. The light faded and the white alicorn sat in silence for a moment. She raised herself to a stand and headed toward the door, the loud clops of her golden shoes against the floor sending echoes throughout the chamber. Opening the door with her magic, she stepped into the hallway, passing the statue-like guards without a second glance. The Princess passed many more on her journey, and other castle dwellers who bowed respectfully in her presence, eventually arriving at her destination. The castle dungeon. It didn’t take her long to find who she was looking for. Luna sat in front of a cell, flanked on either side by her personal guard. The Princess of the Moon observed the cell’s inhabitant, the ape-like alien. The creature chose not to use the bed provided, instead sitting in the far corner of the tiny room, wrapped in a woollen blanket. His knees were drawn up to his chin, his hands resting on top of them. His small eyes were locked on Luna, observing her as she did him. His gaze quickly switched to Celestia as she stepped into view. She too watched him for a moment. “I trust you know about his little... adventure?” Luna asked, not taking her eyes off the creature. “I do. Nopony was hurt, I assume?” “One of the doctors was quite shaken, but aside from that and a few cuts and bruises, everypony is fine.” “Good. I was worried our friend might have hurt somepony.” Celestia said. Luna still wouldn’t take her eyes of the creature. “What of the research team? Has there been any word from them?” Celestia sighed. “That I why I came to see you. I just received a letter from one of Surestrike’s lieutenants, the camp has been attacked.” Luna tore her gaze away from the creature and looked at her sister. “A gryphon wargroup. There have been casualties. I’ve already sent a letter to the guard at Stalliongrad, they’ll sent a detachment of soldiers.” The alien raised his head, aware from the sudden change in atmosphere that something was happening. Luna opened her mouth to speak, but Celestia cut her off. “There is one more thing. The lieutenant who sent the letter claimed to have seen a tall, bipeal monster kill one of his soldiers with some kind of magical weapon.” Luna gaped at her sister, unable to formulate a response. Despite having acquired one of the alien weapons, how they worked was yet to be discovered. They were completely resistant to magic, as were the other alien artefacts, and Celestia had forbid any attempt to disassemble it after a small accident where one of the researchers had unwittingly fired the weapon, nearly killing a co-worker. “Come.” Celestia said, “We must meet with the council and discuss our next move.” * Nopony had been allowed to see the creature after its escape, save the Princesses and a few chosen for their skills. These included elite guards, and several doctors. The list however, did not include one Twilight Sparkle. The lavender unicorn paced back and forth across the lavishly furnished private suite the Princess had issued her. High quality furniture dotted the bedroom, with walls lined with beautiful paintings from some of Equestria’s most famous artists. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm orange glow over the room. Twilight payed no heed to the craftsmanship and quality of the room’s contents. She merely paced back and forth, the sound of her hooves dulled by the soft rug that covered the floor. The lavender mare paused to let out a frustrated sigh, before she continued her seemingly endless pacing. The source of her discomfort was, unsurprisingly, the alien who currently resided in the castle dungeon. Well, I hope he’s still there. Twilight wasn’t angry at her mentor for barring her access to the creature. She couldn’t argue with Celestia’s reasoning behind the decision. There was the obvious safety concern with being anywhere near the alien, especially considering it previously shown tendency to act violently. There was also the creature’s state of mind. No doubt it would be stressed out beyond belief, and the Princess had no desire to aggravate the biped any further. Still, Twilight couldn’t help but feel left out. Frustrated that her studies on the alien would have to wait for even longer, she tried to find something else to occupy her time. Due to her studious nature, it wasn’t long before a suitable answer presented itself. The library. Canterlot had the largest library in the whole of Equestria, perhaps even in the entire world. In her younger years, Twilight had spent a great deal of time in there, even going so far as to move in and become the caretaker. She would have elected it to be her residence for the duration of her current trip, but due to her absence in when she moved to Ponyville, a new librarian had been appointed. Without a second thought, she left her quarters and set off toward her former home. * Twelve hours later. “...considering our losses we would have been crushed had we engaged the Equestrian’s reinforcements.” The messenger, paused, as if he was unsure if he should continue. Finally he concluded the message. “I am sorry, sire, but we have failed.” “Be gone.” The messenger took a swift bow before backing out of the room, leaving Banewin alone with the four elders. Silence filled the air whilst the gryphon leaders pondered over the contents of the message. They sat idly, no movement except for the dancing shadows cast by the bright torches that lined the walls. The elders eagerly awaited permission to share their thoughts. Banewin exhaled loudly. “Speak.” “This will lead to war.” Yalek stated, his clouded eyes observing Banewin’s face as he spoke. The clan leader’s face remained an emotionless mask. “No. The land is ours; we have every right to defend it.” The old hen, Hyava, added. “The Equestrians know this, Yalek.” Yalek turned to face her. “Our warriors should have restrained themselves. Their orders were to drive the Equestrians off our land, not slaughter them!” He pointed a talon at her, “This will only serve to enrage the Princesses! We all know that our treaty with the Frostwing clan is fraying! If the ponies declare war, we won’t survive!” Elder Kyarth cut in. “Whilst this is a matter of utmost importance, I fear you are overlooking an important aspect of the report. The messenger clearly stated that the ponies were not the only other combatants. More of those... things have appeared.” “Bah!” Yalek exclaimed, “We are on the brink of war on two fronts, and you worry about a few stray dogs running through the mountains.” “Are you deaf, Yalek? Did you not hear when we were told of how a mere four of these monsters effortlessly cut their way through our warriors and the Equestrian’s without suffering a single death? If there are more of them than we anticipated, then they have proved themselves a bigger threat than both the Equestrian’s and the Frostwings!” Kyarth turned to face the clan leader. “With respect, sire, I most humbly suggest we make these beasts our first priority. If they are in our land, then they are our biggest threat.” “Aye” the fourth elder, Maelon, agreed, “They are perhaps the most dangerous of our foes, and the closest to home. Left unchecked they could be responsible for crippling damage.” Yalek frowned. “And what, Kyarth, do you suggest we do about the Equestrians?” Much to Yalek’s annoyance, the third elder, Kyarth, smiled at him. “We merely do what should have been done in the first place. We remind them that the land is ours, and we tell them to withdraw, else we will drive them out.” “And you think they will comply?” Yalek shot back, “They know their nation is stronger than ours, and that a war would no doubt lead to our defeat!” “Celestia is no simpleton, Yalek.” Kyarth said calmly, “The land is rightfully ours, and she must honour our wishes for her subjects to withdraw. If she fails to comply, than she will be going against the treaty both our nations have signed. If she ignores the treaty and shows an act of aggression toward a gryphon clan, the other clans will see her as untrustworthy, and will not feel bound to follow the treaty that she has so carelessly broken. It may even be enough to unite the other clans against her.” “Not likely.” The elderly hen muttered. “But the point still stands. It would be too great a risk for her to dishonour the agreement between our nations.” Kyarth’s confidence in his argument unnerved Yalek, as did his unflinching smile. “You seem very sure of this, Kyarth.” Banewin commented. Kyarth bowed his head respectfully. “I am, sire.” Banewin nodded slowly before turning toward the female elder. “Hyava, what have you found out about the original survivor?” Hyava nodded. “Our informant spoke of rumours circulating amongst the castle staff about a two legged monster attacking some of the medical staff. I think it is safe to assume that the creature in question is the same one that killed your brother.” The clan leader’s expression shifted slightly at the mention of Aceius, but he recovered quickly. “Then it survived. Good. You have done well Hyava.” She smiled proudly. “But of course, sire, I am here-” “Have it killed.” Hyava’s eyes widened and similar looks of shock appeared on the other elders. “I beg your pardon, but I fear I may have misheard you.” Banewin’s eyes narrowed as he spoke. “I believe you hear me quite clearly. I want the beast assassinated.” “Sire, perhaps you should reconsider this move.” Yalek said. “Aye” Kyarth added, “Your anger over your brother’s death clouds your judgement, and such a move could jeopardise our informant’s position, which would be a mistake considering the usefulness of a spy with our current-” *THUMP!* Banewin’s curled talons collided with the stone floor of the hall, echoing throughout the room and silencing the elder’s pleas. “Send scouts to sweep our land, starting in the area of the crash site. Find where these monsters hide, but do not engage them. As for the Equestrians, send an emissary to inform them that they are not welcome on our land, and we will again respond with force if they do not vacate our territory. Inform all of our settlements to ready their fighters and have them on standby.” Banewin stared down at the elders, looking each in the eye as he spoke. “My order still stands regarding the assassination. I want that freak dead. Now be gone!” Each elder bowed before the clan leader before proceeding toward the exit. Soon enough Banewin was, once again, alone. //Incoming Transmission //Incoming Transmission //Decoding . .. ... ***PRIORITY 1 DISTRESS BEACON*** >UNN YAMATO >Critical systems failure. >Multiple Crew casualties //Decoding location //Transmitting co-ordinates “Admiral!” A middle aged man looked over toward the source of the call. He walked over, the medals on his chest swinging slightly with each step. “What do you have for me?” The young man who operated the terminal spoke. “Sir, distress signal from the UNN Yamato.” “Yamato?” “Yes sir. Last seen back at Earth. They initiated jump with the rest of the fleet, but never came out on the other side.” The Admiral scratched his chin. “Where are they?” “I’m bringing up their location now.” The operator proceeded to tap keys on the pad in front of him. “Here.” “Hmm.” The Admiral peered closer to the screen. “Dispatch the Colmar, search and rescue. If there are any survivors I want them brought back.” “Sending the data now. Will there be anything else, sir?” “No, that’s all.” The admiral walked away from the console, leaving the operator to work. He made his way to the bridge’s observation window just in time to see the UNN Colmar initiate its FTL drive. In a flash of light the mighty ship disappeared on its journey. Thank you guys for sticking with me this far. 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