//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: He Returns with an Army // Story: The Darkened Past: Alex’s Past History in Ponyville // by captinalex1 //------------------------------// So few months pass, as I have been taken into the Hive. Nothing much really happens. It's basically training, having something to eat and a nice place to sleep. That's all. However, today something big is about to happen. So the morning was the same, wake up and eat. "Morning Alex!" Echo wakes me happily. -Ywan- "Morning Echo." I awaken. "Sleep well?" She asks. "Yes, like always." I answer. "Yay, that's good." She says excitingly. "Gee, why so exited?" I ask. "I don't know just am. Could be that training has been going great." She tries to answer. "Hey can I check the percentage please?" I ask. "Why sure." Echo says as she hands me the reader. "Thanks, now let's see." I measure. Finally the result is made and it reads, "9%" "Woohoo! It's a small number. Not that small but it shows progress." Echo adds. "So what are we gonna do today?" I ask. "Probably train a little later." Echo answers. "Alright." I agree. But then before we are able to do anything else, the lights go out, and things go dark. All that you can see glow is that tactical wrist device I was given by Light Bringer and Echos Changeling eyes. "What that?!" I shout out. "What's going on?" Echo asks in surprise. "Beats me." I answer. I slowly trot through the room using the glow from the device looking for a Flashlight. I finally spot one, pick it up and turn it on. "Well at least we can see now." I say. "I still want to know what's going on." Echo says unhappily. "Let's try to find out." I tell her. I also find a gun because I was wiped clean before being banished. With the gun I take point and Echo follows from behind me. I slowly open the door to the hallway to take a peak. "Hm, something's not right." I tell Echo noticing the darkness. I trot into the hallway checking my corners and moving slowly about. "Is there anything their?" Echo asks. "Nothing yet." I tell her. Then a dark object moves swiftly about and seeing me, pulls out a sword cutting the flashlight and using telekinesis, pushes me and Echo backward. "What the?!" Echo and I shout out. The power flickers and the lights turn on for a second, enough for me and Echo to be able to see who that pony was. And you'll never believe it. It's Razor. Echo and my eyes shrink as we see him. Then in a flash he disappears. "Did you just..." I begin. "It's him..." Echo says. "Wasn't he killed?" She adds. "Yes, I believe he was." I tell her. Then we see lights and it's two Changelings galloping over to help us up. "You two ok?" One asks. "Yes we are fine." I tell them, as I get up. "Did you see who that pony was?" The other asks. "It's, it's Razor." Echo answers. "What?!" They get shocked. "Echos telling the truth. I just don't know how he is alive. I swear I killed him." I explain. "This can't be good. He's one of the corrupted Changelings. He needs to be captured." The Changelings order. "Yes sir." I salute. Echo and I are then dismissed and move down the hallway holding pistols and are on high alert. Then I hear a crackling sound and look up. "LOOK OUT!" I then dive and move Echo out of the way as a rock falls and crashes. "This place is booby trapped." I tell her. "Best be extra careful." "Right, um, thanks." She blushes a little for saving her. I help her up. "Let's keep going." We are on our hooves and moving through the hallway again, but we are not alone. All of a sudden, two KG units roll from a doorway, see us and stop. They on roll and get up, aim their lasers at us and open fire. I grab Echo's hoof and pull her behind cover with me. I peek out and take a few shots but go back behind cover on time because a few shots ricochet of the wall just missing me. "Now what?" Echo asks. "Give me a moment to think please." I let her know. I then look at the device on my wrist, hit a button and a small shield pops out. I then jump out of cover and start deflecting bullets back. With my other hoof, I use the pistol to fire back at the KG units. "Just die you stupid droids." I say. Finally their armor falls off and the next shot kills them. "Finally." I say annoyed. "Echo let's keep moving." I tell her. "Right." She agrees. I look to where the droids entered but nothing is their. I guess they were just breaching, but don't worry that much and continue moving. Echo and I then approach a door, so I press a button and it opens. All Echo and I see is a floating cubed ship, that is readying to dispense more of those KG units. I gallop into the room, find some C4s, clip them to the four thrusters, gallop out and shut the door. When door is shut, I hit the button. BOOOOOM! The thrusts explode and the ship falls burning. "Alex, what was that?" Echo asks. "A droid dispenser. Meaning every few seconds it'll send out another KG." I explain. "Ah, ok." Echo understands. Then when Echo and I least expect it, a bunch of KG units fall from the sky and surround us. Razor then appears from the shadows, but he looks different. The place I shot him from the past now has metal armor and one of his eyes have a red optical eye. Meaning it's a mechanical eye that has enhancements. "Hehehe, you two were easy to trap." Razor smirks. "Razor what do you want?!" Echo snaps a little. "I want revenge. Didn't know you'd ‘care’ so much for him." He mocks. "Also you're wondering how I'm alive. Well I'll tell you. After the Wonderbolts airlifted Alex, I crawled through the Everfree until finally being found by the KGs. I thought Jak had killed all of them but apparently not. So the KGs took me in and made me into what I am now." He then points his hoof at me and it transforms into a cannon. The moment I see what his hoof does I shout, "He's a Mech!?" "Heheh, your correct, then when you're dead, I can go join Count Veger and we'll be able to find the Precursors and obtain the ultimate weapon." Razor laughs. "Now prepare to be obliterated." He grins. "Razor, please don't. Please don't. This, this is blasphemy to the Hive. A betrayal." Echo begs. "Ha, you think I'm gonna fall for this pity, besides, never really cared for the Hive anyway. It was a waste of my time!" Razor laughs. He charges the cannon aimed at me and Echo. Few seconds later it's fully charged. "See you never!" He says darkly. Then fires the weapon. I put up the little shield, and the shot hits it. I struggle to hold it. "What?! Pfft, whatever, you're wasting your time." He growls. "KGs shoot him. He can't protect every side." Razor then gallops somewhere else. The KGs lower their weapons aimed for me. The KGs then slowly shoot at me taking turns. The bullets continuously hit me from every side and my energy depletes quickly. One more shoots and the lava bullet hits my wing. My hoof falls then the energy bullet hits the ground and explodes. BOOM! That area of the Changeling Hive is nothing but ash. Razor looks back and smiles, as he sees only smoke. When the situation looks like the end for Echo and I, you're wrong. I open one eye to see that Echo is holding my hoof, and with her other hoof stabilizing a round force field. I open my other eye and slowly get up. "Echo, how did you do that?" She looks at me with a smile. "I know how that device is used, because I'm one of the Fallout Elites." Echo then shows me her hoof and I see she also has the same device. "When two ponies combine the devices, they create a force field, like this one." "I see." I understand. "But be aware, you can't always use it. Use this move only when you really need to." She adds. "Right, but now what?" I ask her. Echo turns my head to look out. "Oh, that's a problem. Two more dispensers." "What are we gonna..." Echo gets cut off by another Changeling shouting. "Hey, you two alright?!" The Changeling asks as he gallops over. "Yes, we're fine." Echo answers. "You guys need help, I have a few Changeling Warriors with me and are ready for orders." The Changeling tells us. "Alright, see those dispensers, take them out. No survivors. Then set up a holding position. We also need scouts to go after Razor." Echo orders. "Echo last place he was seen was by the CTF. So we have a hot pursuit on him." Another tells her. "Good, when we capture him, I want info. What is it that made him corrupt? And why is he working for Veger?" "Copy." The Changeling Sargent says. Then he motions to his troops who goes where. Then, the area we are standing in gets breached by, KG units. I get my pistol out and Echo does the same. The Changeling troops get their rifles and are mowing down the KGs as the units fire back at us. "Guys, go for the thrusters on the dispenser ships." I tell them. "Got it!" One says. Then two Changelings get a rocket launcher and aim for the weak points. They fire and it's a hit. I notice the electricity that is powering the thrusters go weak. "Hit it again!" I order. The Changelings fire and the first thruster on ship two is destroyed. Then the two dispensers land and begin dispensing more KG units. "Here they come. Get ready." Echo orders. I do something crazy. I break from cover, fly past the KGs as they get their attention towards me. The Changelings open fire at the backs of the KGs and I land on one of the dispenser. I climb down near the thruster, put my hoof in the opening and grab the electric wire and begin to pull. "Alex what are you doing?!" Echo yells, shocked. "I’m -bzzz- fine. -bzzz-" I try to talk but am being electrocuted. "Hey, KGs -bzzz- come and shoot me." So the KGs open fire at me, and I raise the wire and it gets cut, stopping the electricity and destroying the thruster. For some reason, the dispenser explodes after the thruster get destroyed. I get thrown off, then open my wings and land on my hooves. "That was fun. Kinda." Echo tries to hold from laughing, "Oh Alex, wasn't expecting you to do that..." But let's get back to being serious. The final dispenser moves in and gets some weapons out. On the roof of the machine, rocket pods are displayed and a beam gun underneath. The dispenser rises and fires the beam and begins to spin. "Get behind something and you won't get zapped!" I shout. So then I see the Changelings jump behind a rock. I then think for a second. "Crap." I look around noticing I have no cover. The beam almost hits me, but I jump over and fire a shot at the beam launcher. It gets jammed and turns off. The dispenser then lands and starts deploying more KG units. But in addition, they send flying ones also. "Oh common!?" I shout. I then take a few shots and destroy a few flying units. Click, Click! I look at my gun. "Yeah it's empty." But I was distracting the KGs long enough that the Changelings move in. They fire their rockets over and over. Finally the dispenser blows up and Echo helps me up. “That was um, scarey…” Echos tells me. “Well, I know what i was doing. Anyway, where are these things coming from?” I ask. “No word yet.” Echo answers. “What about Razor, are they still on him?” I ask. One of the other Changelings approaches me and answers, “T-they lost him…” “Damn, he could be anywhere.” I tell them. “Wait, if Razor was last seen near the CTF; that’s near here.” Echo realizes. I look at the Changeling that’s speaking to me closely and notice his eyes are red. He sees I’m alerted and quickly grabs my hoof and spins me around and has my hoof behind my back and is holding me down. “Very perspective Alex. Heheheh.” “Its, ahh, its h-him.” I struggle. “Don't any of you try anything!” He warns as a blade appears from his hoof. “What, what do you want with m-me?” I ask. “I want you gone!” He speaks darkly. “If I let you escape and hold off my attack, their is no way I can get you to turn dark. But if i lock you up in a cell and keep you there for a while more, you'll turn evil. Then you'll never be able to stop us from obtaining the Precursor’s power.” The Changeling guards that are with us try to gallop over, but are punched back by KG units. Echo pulls out a pistol and aims, but i shake my head trying to show its to risky. Echo obeys and puts it away. Razor hoof-cuffs me and throws me into a ship. I sit in the dark as the ship flies off. I look at my device but, its unusable. Its been paralyzed. “Sigh, just great…” “Yes, Yes! Its all going as planned.” Veger raises his staff as he watches Celestia and everypony else get tied up and taken away. He then hits the ground with the staff and says a few words. “By the power of the Precursors, I summon the ancient Precursor guard!” The red gem on the top of his staff lights up and the ground starts to shake. Veger trots outside to look and what comes out of the ground is a Precursor Guard that’s got thick bronze and steel armor combined. The size of the Precursor is huge. “What is your biting?” It talks in a mechanical voice. “Meet Razor at his underground station. Their, he will give you a task.” Veger tells it. The machine jumps up and flies towards the direction of the objective. Celestia senses that I’m in danger and asks, “No, your not gonna have it kill him are you?” Veger trots over, puts his staff under Celestia’s chin and raises it. “Don't worry Princess, why would I ever have any harm done to him.” He mocks. “Of course I’m gonna have it kill Alex!” He growls. Veger then puts her chin down and trots over to a KG unit. “Has the digging begun yet?” He asks. “Yes, just like you requested. We have almost reached the Precursor weapon and anything else that’s valuable.” It answers. “Good. Prepare for my visit. I'll be checking on the progress soon.” He tells it. “Copy.” It answers. Veger then has Celestia get thrown into the cell with her other guards. Veger trots back into the castle to prepare for what's next. The KG unit walks back to his ship and flies to the mining site.