//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Marker's Prophecy // by Dakilladj //------------------------------// Atop a hill stood a being. It’s magical might was strong enough to shatter the strongest of boulders, stop the fastest of trains, and even align the moon just right in the sky. She was the sister of one of the most powerful alicorns imaginable. Yet with all her power she couldn’t stop what was happening before her. Grassy hills stretching far into the horizon enclosed the remains of what used to be a great city. It is still inhabited of course, but not how you might think. Surrounding it, were its old inhabitants as they run for their lives. From this distance she could still see everything, every detail, about the fleeing population. The same could be said for those that chased them. She knew what these creatures were, where they came from, and what they wanted. Made from the very dead they had massacred, they were outfitted with a variety of blades and claws. They pursued any living being with a reckless abandonment. They were just puppets being controlled by a greater power from behind the scenes. Its power was great, maybe even greater than her’s and her sister’s. She watched as her beloved ponies ran. They fled to Celestia knows where trying to find shelter and protection from the creatures that followed them. Few are fast enough to elude the slashing claws of these creatures, to dodge the acid being hurled at them, or smart enough to hide in time. Countless have already fallen to these monsters, and many more will follow. She had seen it happen countless times. She had been powerless to stop it then, and she was powerless to stop it now. No amount of magic would stop these creatures, no medicine would heal the scars they have already left upon the land she knew as Equestria. All that was left to do was wait for the end. It would be over soon, and with it her suffering. She had not asked for this. Nopony had asked for this. They had come to them from the vast reaches of space. She didn’t know why and she didn’t care to find out. “Princess Luna!” A straggler had managed to find her. “What are you doing?! Help us!” The pony pleaded. Don’t look. Ignore it. It’ll go away soon. They always do. “Please help me! I’ve got a husband and child still in the city! They need you to-“ the pony didn’t finish. She knew why. Coming towards them was one such monster that was creating red rivers in every street and hillside in Equestria. Its bloodlust didn’t stop at one or ten or one hundred or one thousand souls. It would only stop when there were no more. Standing Bipedal, pale peach in colour, it towered over even her. The marking on its body were unfamiliar to her. It was not a language that she understood or think she would ever live to understand. Its front hooves replaced with flesh and bone knives that pierced through pony and animal alike. Its eyes black and glossy, showing her an image of herself turned into one of them. The pony that had questioned her before had run off to save herself. They always did and she didn’t expect anything from anyone anymore. Everyone she knew had been victims to this plague upon the land. She would be no different. It stopped before her, as if to contemplate the reason she didn’t run like the others. She stood up on all fours, and looked at the creature once more. Their eyes locked and she knew it would be fast. But it would be very painful. As if to confirm her worries, the creature bend down and lowered its right arm. She knew what would happen, it never got easier to endure. The creature shot its arm right through her torso. Skewering her on its arm. Suspended in the air, the creature had free reign on her body, using its advantage to cut off both her right fore and back legs. She screamed of course, her shrill cry carrying far across the now barren and unloving countryside. Biting her lips and tasting blood, she tried to stem the flow of tears. She didn’t know why this was so bad. This was much better than being force-fed stomach acid, or having her head ripped off. Her favorite was being blown to pieces, it was over in quite literally a moment. The pain was starting to fade as she hung there bleeding out. Not fast enough she thought. Mustering her last reserves of energy, she moved her front hoof back and forth. This caught the creature’s attention. It drew its left arm back, preparing for the final cuts. She only closed her eyes. Her head was off, and her torso was in two after the creature had its way. One life ushered into darkness. Time for the next. The creature didn’t dawdle but continued after the remaining ponies that were retreating, Leaving its latest victim in pieces. She knew not how much time had elapsed, but she was once again standing atop the hill. She stared down at her mortal coil or what was left of it. She didn’t need to worry about attack any longer. She was no longer with the living. It was not a long time before she could feel herself moving. She traversed vast distances without effort, only to continue on as a spectator. She was now observing a large group of survivors walk up to a castle that was situated on a large mountain bordering Equestria. It was not only ponies in the group. She counted a few griffins, diamond dogs, and an occasional dragon shivering against the icy winds and keeping a look out on their surroundings. It was not long before they took the castle and fortified it to their liking. For the next few days, it was almost home to its inhabitants. They didn’t know it, but they were the one of the last groups of souls that were still alive in Equestria. Every animal was being hunted, every pony tracked, and every diamond dog snuffed out, and every dragon cornered. Some survivors pretended that their world had not just been flipped upside down, and those were the first to break. Those that were broken were a hazard to the group’s safety and were thrown into the dungeons. From there it wasn’t long before they were under siege from the very monsters they had forgotten existed. From the corners of their minds the deranged were told lies and falsehoods. These false prophets came in the guise of lost relatives and loved ones. Slowly the crazies broke the castle walls in their cells, as instructed. This was the beginning of the end. The creatures were ushered in and the prisoners were the first to be relieved of their duty. Now attacked from both the outside and within, the group split into two parties. The main group consisting of every able bodied member of the group. These were to hold off the monsters in the hopes that the elders could escape. There was no escape, but there was no surviving either. The elders reluctantly agreed and were barricaded into the last room that wasn’t under attack. From there they recorded. Every last detail that could be of importance to those that stumble upon these files in the future. Anything that visits this planet must be informed for the catastrophe that took place here. Once every fact was recorded, they waited. The sounds of fighting in the castle soon dwindled to silence. The door was being barraged with the blows of countless creatures that hungered for the living that were locked inside. Some of those wanting admittance were the very survivors that had been fighting earlier. As with all things the door did eventually give way, and the ponies in the room accepted their fate. She was whisked high up into the sky. The ground a blur as she ascended, only to stop once the ground was out of sight. A small light was present beneath her. It flickered before going out. She looked out across the clouds. She could see a small number of lights scattered across the land, and yet those too soon flickered and died out until none remained. There is no fighting this, there was no surviving this, and there was no victory to be had in defeating the opponents that stood before pony kind. Only death await the land that was once called Equestria. The puppeteer pulling the strings revealed itself at last. From the darkness, an ancient relic of an alien species appeared. Its surface intertwined into two peaks and alien writing marked its surface. Its ghastly red glow seemed to call to her. Beckoning her to let it become whole. She had no choice or alternative to its call and so she did as instructed. She let go. She was slowly dragged towards the columns. She didn’t expect to be blinded by a bright light that appeared as suddenly as it had gone. Temporarily blinded, she slowly regained her sight. The pillars were no longer in sight, and she couldn’t feel their presence. Breathing a sigh of relief she looked around at her new surroundings. She was in a hallway composed almost entirely of metal. The only light was streaming in through a window on the side of the wall. Beyond that were a multitude of stars, far more than she could ever hope to see through any microscope or magic enhanced vision. She was snapped out of her reprise by the sound of something approaching. She had only one guess as to what it was. Much to her surprise it was not one of the creatures currently attacking her planet. It was another bipedal, but something was entirely different about this creature. It was encased in a suit of fabrics and metal that had both rusted and been splattered with blood. A helmet that streaked the floor in three vertical strips of blue light. This faceguard in no way provided any vision to the creature inside. In its hand, a weapon of some kind was there at the ready. The sound of scraping and clawing came from a nearby vent on the wall. The creature backed away and drew the weapon it was holding. Some parts of the device moved and shifted until faint blue streaks of light were pulsating from its entrance. This object also shed light on the   vent that the noises came from. Almost as soon as the light had hit the vent, a familiar creature had come hurtling out. It was like the biped from earlier but a far weaker variant. She expect it to be over very quickly. This armoured figure had no chance of running in the tight corridor they were all in. But it didn’t turn and run. It actually discharged its weapon on the monster before it. A blue wave of light seemed to fire out the machine and strike the monster’s bladed appendage. The appendage came clean off. It was the straightest cut she had ever seen. The monster doubled back before lunging forward once again. Soon enough though, its other blade was decommissioned as well. It was left struggling on the floor at the masked figure stood above it. She couldn’t believe it. How in the name of Celestia had this creature not only fought one of these creatures, but actually prevailed? Was it the weapon? It had to be. Mercy was finally given as the figure brought up one of its legs and brought it down on the monster’s head, spraying Brain tissue, bone, and flesh across the floor. It swung it’s head towards her. Could it see her? Did it think she was a threat? Her question were answered as the creature approached. It didn’t stop until it passed right through her, before continuing on its way. She knew not what this creature’s name was or where it was from. She felt that it instilled in her the hope she had so desperately needed the last few nights. She knew now that there was a single being that did not cower in fear or run, but fought to survive against the same threats she was fighting against herself. She would do anything to get it onto her side.