//------------------------------// // Chapter III // Story: What I've Become // by Knight Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter III Tired, hungry, and angry at evil foliage in general, I stumbled back into my lair, fully aware of how hard the next couple of weeks were going to be. Now that the locals were aware of my presence, I wouldn't be able to hunt as openly as I had in the past, if at all. They will be on the lookout for me, I thought as I curled up on my makeshift bed of cured animal hide. They might even go as far as to form hunting parties or hire monster killers to come and get me, or even call in the government if they feel like they cannot take me by themselves. I'm a threat, an alien menace, and I know how I would be treated if this were home. At least, that's how I would react if I had seen me, I thought bitterly. As I made myself comfortable, lost in my thoughts as I was, I took a second to look around at the cave that I had claimed for myself. All in all, I had scored pretty well in terms of places to lay low. The nearby river provided me with a decent supply of water and fish (when I could catch them), while the cave itself was fairly difficult to reach, seeing as how its entrance sat about fifteen feet up a cliff face. The tree outside was how I managed to get in and out, so I felt pretty safe from things without opposable thumbs like bears or cougars getting me in my sleep. Or ponies for that matter. I figured it would be hard for them to climb trees without any opposable digits, so this was a pretty good place to hide if a mob came looking for me. ...Unless some of the members of the mob were the flying kind, though. I didn't really have a plan for pegasi. I'll burn that bridge when I come to it, I thought as I snuggled a bit further into the fur that surrounded me. However, as I tried to rest, my stomach decided to make itself known at that point, reminding me that some scavenger had grabbed my pig while I had been otherwise occupied. I grumbled slightly as I got up to take another crack at fishing, fully aware at how quick those little buggers could be. I just hoped that I would be able to catch something before the sun went down. * * * The first thing she became aware of was a beeping noise. That confused her at first. It was almost as if it were mocking her, trying to trick her into believing what she knew wasn't true. I must be haunting a hospital... she thought ruefully to herself. But why would I be haunting a place like this? At least give me somewhere entertaining, like a movie theater, or a music hall... “Hey Script, you holding up alright?” she heard somepony close by say. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place who it was for some reason. However, despite not being able to recognize the voice, what it said brought things into perspective for her. She wasn't haunting a hospital, she was haunting her husband. “Yeah, I'm doing alright. I just wish she'd open her eyes and tell us what happened,” she heard Written Script say listlessly. She knew that tone. It was the tone that he always adopted when he was worried sick, but didn't want everypony to know. He was always cute when he talked like that, with those big sad eyes and that worried frown. Almost cute enough to make her forget that he had forgotten that their anniversary was today. Almost. “So, about tonight...” she heard the other voice trail off. “No, it's not going to happen. Can I trust you to take care of everything?” she heard Written ask. What the heck are you talking about? Did you plan on going out and partying somewhere on our anniversary? she thought angrily. “Don't even worry about it. I'll swing by on my way home and tell them what happened, you just stay here with her. I'm sure she would have loved the surprise, though,” the other voice said in a false chipper tone. ...Surprise? “Thanks Caramel, I don't know what I'd do without you,” Written said listlessly. “...Wait, what surprise?” Carrot Top mumbled, opening her eyes as she spoke. Upon opening her eyes, several things became apparent almost instantly: 1: She had a blinding headache. 2: Her husband was staring at her with a strange mixture of joy and relief. 3: She was alive. That last one took her a while to fully process. Even as Written Script wrapped his gray, furred hooves around her, mumbling incoherently and gently squeezing her, she still couldn't quite believe what was happening. So many questions chased themselves around in her head, but one bubbled to the top of her list, forcing itself out of her mouth before she could even comprehend the meaning of the words. “Why am I not dead?” she asked in disbelief into Written Script's purple mane. “You don't have to sound so disappointed, Carrot,” Caramel said, sitting down next to the bed with a cocky grin on his face. “No, you don't understand! The monster was right there, it should have killed me the instant I started running!” Carrot top said, confusion clear in her voice. “Don't worry about that, you're safe now and that's all that matters,” she heard Written say as he gently nuzzled her. “No, I'm not going to stop worrying. And what do you mean by surprise?” she asked, her stubbornness shining through despite the headache. Written Script didn't answer at first. Instead, he squeezed her once more, then gently let her go and leaned back. “Well, I had a huge surprise planned for this evening for our anniversary, but we're going to have to take a rain check while you recover,” he said after he had settled himself beside the bed. Carrot Top pouted a bit at this. “I thought you had forgotten... You didn't even give me a kiss goodbye this morning...” she said in a sullen tone. Written Script gently laughed at this, then booped her on the nose. “Just a ruse to make the surprise all the better,” he said. His smile fell a little, though, and was replaced with a guilty frown. “I am sorry about that, however. When I saw you lying there, all I could think about was how your last memory of me was an unhappy one, about how I didn't give you a kiss goodbye this morning, all because of some stupid plan I had...” he said as tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. She smiled at that. “You're sweet,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss. However, as soon as they had finished, she reached behind him and hit him on the back of the head with her hoof. “Don't do it again,” she said, her tone still sweet, but her eyes as hard as stone. Written just nodded in stunned silence, despite the chuckling sound coming from the other side of the bed. “I wouldn't cross this one if I were you Script. She's feisty,” Caramel said as he stood up. “And don't you forget it,” Carrot Top said, leaning back as she spoke, a smug smile on her lips. The smile quickly faded as a thought crossed her mind. “However, that still doesn't answer my other question,” she said as she rubbed her aching forehead. “Why didn't that monster kill me? Her husband just shook his head at this. “I don't know. I'm just glad that all it gave you was a concussion...” he said, relief clear on his face. Carrot top looked a little embarrassed at this. “Um, Written? It didn't give me the concussion,” Carrot said sheepishly. Written Script did a quick double take. “It didn't? How did you get it then?” he asked in amazement. Carrot settled a little more into her blankets, her face a mask of concentration. “Well, I was busy wandering the forest, trying to collect my thoughts after what happened this morning, when the creature burst out of the woods chasing a wild pig! It-” Carrot Top shuddered at the unpleasant memory for a second, but smiled when Written placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Well, after it...finished...the pig, I started to back away, but it heard me. It turned and saw me, so I started to run,” she smiled ruefully at that point. “I saw the tree an instant before I hit it. I vaguely remember seeing the monster look down at me, but I think I blacked out at that point.” The other two exchanged a confused look that Carrot Top completely missed. “So, don't leave me hanging! Who was the pony to drive it off and carry me back to town?” she asked excitedly. Caramel gave Written another look. This one, however, Carrot caught out of the corner of her eye. “What?” she asked, confused at their silence. Written took a deep breath, then looked her in the eye. “Carrot, nopony came to your rescue in the woods,” he said slowly. The silence that followed this statement was profound. All that anyone could hear was the heart monitor, and even that seemed to skip a beat at Written's words. “I...I don't understand...” she said, not sure that she had heard him correctly. “I was in town today, getting things ready for tonight, when I heard a roar unlike any I had heard before come from White Tail. I rushed to see what was happening when I caught a glimpse of something pale, gorilla-like, and covered with spikes make a break for the woods. I also saw you, lying in the middle of the road, covered in blood,” he said, not quite believing what he was saying. Carrot just gaped at him. “So, it carried me back to town?” she asked, the words sounding even more unlikely out loud then in her head. Written shook his head at this. “I don't know. All I know is what I saw. It must be pretty important, though, because Twilight Sparkle was here earlier, and she wanted to talk to you as soon as you felt well enough. Something about how the Princesses needed to know or some other fate of Equestria stuff,” he said, a rueful smile on his face. Carrot Top was about to answer, but her stomach made its presence known first, causing her to blush furiously. “Um, I think I really need to talk to her, but maybe after we've gotten something to eat? I don't know about you, but I feel like I haven't eaten in ages,” she said in embarrassment. Written Script smiled at this. “Of course.” * * * Celestia sat back in disgust, throwing another useless report onto her desk. It had been six months since the alien craft had crash landed in the mountain range near White Tail, and they were no closer to solving the mysteries it held. That was unsurprising, however, considering how much damage it had sustained in the crash. The thing had exploded long before the first ponies had arrived on the scene, leaving behind nothing but twisted metal and questions. Well, that and the bodies. Celestia looked at the autopsy report again, well aware of what horrors it contained. Most of the bodies had been consumed in the explosion, leaving behind nothing but burnt husks. However, a few appeared to have survived the crash long enough to begin crawling away from the wreckage, only to bleed out a few hundred feet away from the crash site. She flipped through the pictures, her lips pursed as she studied each one. Most of the strange creatures appeared to be the same species: They appeared to be strong, quadrupedal insectoids with two sets of arms that ended in claw-like appendages. Their heads looked small for their bodies, but that was probably because of the large set of mandibles that each one bore. Each one wore a uniform of some kind, while several wore body armor made from a strange, yet strong material. However, as monstrous as these creatures appeared, they were nothing compared to the ape-like abominations that had crawled out of the ship alongside the other aliens. What was even worse, however, was that several of the insectoids had wounds that appeared to have been inflicted by the razor-sharp talons that the ape-like creatures bore. The apes themselves hadn't come out unscathed either, each of them bearing not only injuries sustained in the crash, but burns that appeared to have been inflicted by dragonfire. Other than the collars that each one wore, they were all naked. The apes were not natural either. During the autopsy, her ponies had found a number of complex devices implanted into each one. One of the devices in particular had filled her with absolute horror. It was located in the brain, and exited out of the back of the subject's skull to connect to the collar that each one wore. What was implied by this was terrifying. Celestia had been able to piece together very little from the evidence that she had. Clearly there had been a battle of some kind, but neither side had survived to tell the tale. This left the Sun Princess with nothing but questions. Questions that she highly doubted would be answered during even her lengthy lifespan. As Celestia brooded over the evidence on her desk, she was interrupted by a steady knock on her office door. “Come in Luna,” she said, not even bothering to look up to see if she was right. She had already made it clear to her staff that she was not to be disturbed, so that had left only one pony who would visit her. As expected, the Lunar Princess entered, a worried expression on her face. “Tia, it is time to lower the sun,” she said, concern clear in her voice. Celestia quickly shot a look at the clock, shock running through her mind. How in Tartarus did it get that late? she thought to herself. “I'm sorry Luna, I lost track of time.” “It is alright, but I think you should take a break. You've been poring over those reports for months now, you barely sleep anymore, and it's starting to show,” Luna said, her voice stern and reprimanding. Celestia rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. “You're right, but I cannot afford to take a break now. The crashed vessel may have just been an accident, but what if it is a precursor to something much larger? I have to-” “Celestia, if we are attacked by aliens tomorrow, but you haven't had the rest necessary to plan our defenses, wouldn't that place Equestria at an even greater risk than if you took a break from all of this?” Luna interrupted, her voice unyielding. “Besides, it is my duty to guard the night. Equestria will still be standing if you take the time to get a good night sleep tonight, I promise.” Celestia opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted when a wisp of smoke entered the room through the open window and, in a flash of green fire, resolved itself into a scroll. Celestia attempted to make a grab for the scroll, but her sister was too quick for her. “Your student can wait, Tia, but the sun cannot,” she said, a roguish glint in her eye The Sun Princess sighed at this, knowing that she had been defeated. “You're not going to bend on this, are you Lulu?” she asked, exhaustion creeping into her voice. “No, I am not. I will not read your letter, but I will send word to your student, to let her know that the letter has been received. Now go lower the sun and get some sleep,” Luna ordered, her voice brooking no argument. Celestia grumbled something about little sisters, but did as she was told. As soon as her sister had left the room, Luna gently set the still unread letter on Celestia's desk. She then retrieved a blank sheet of paper and quill, then carefully wrote a response to her sister's student. As soon as she was finished, she incinerated the note, sending it on its way. Satisfied that things were taken care of, Luna turned to leave, but was interrupted when another scroll appeared in front of her. This one was addressed to her. Intrigued, Luna opened the letter. It was short, and appeared to have been written in haste. Dear Princess Luna, I understand that Celestia is otherwise preoccupied, but this is a matter of the utmost importance. It involves the object that crashed into the White Tail mountain range six months ago. Please take the time to read the letter I sent her. Awaiting your quick response, -Twilight Sparkle. Wondering what possibly could be so important, Luna reluctantly opened the letter addressed to her sister. Minutes later, Luna burst out of her sister's office, eyes wide and frantic. Her gaze locked onto one of the Solar Guard that stood at attention next to Celestia's office. “Private, I need you to send word to Captain Dark Seeker as quickly as you can. Tell him to meet me in the throne room in one hour, and that he needs to be prepared to deploy,” she said, sweeping past the startled stallion. He wasn't fazed for long, however, and quickly snapped a salute. “Yes your Highness,” he said, taking off down the hallway in search of the Captain of the Night Sentinels. Luna nodded in satisfaction. She was sure that Celestia would want to know about this, but she could wait until morning. Action had to be taken now, and Luna was confident in her ability to handle this. Hopefully the trail hadn't gone cold by the time she reached White Tail.