//------------------------------//
// Ch IV: First Encounter 
// Story: Legacy: The New Adventure 
// by nx9100 
//------------------------------//

...BOOTING SOFTWARE
...ACCESSING DATATRACKS
...EXISTING FILE FOUND
...DO YOU WISH TO OPEN?    Y_
...LOADING
...READY...BEGIN RECORDING...

So, here we are, trapped in my grandmothers’ old house, with a group of alien lizards outside looking for us.  Now I really wish we were back home with mama and papa!
 
Whatever Star found at that library, I hope it was important! 

...END RECORD_
...SAVE FILE_
...SAVE COMPLETED
...POWERING OFF...

.




“Now what do we do?”

Star watched the two Vectin, as they scanned the street with their eyes, searching for anything that moved.  He kept still, head down low, hoping they wouldn't notice him through all the dust on the window. 

“Star,” Melody tried again, “what do we do now?”

“Quite,” he ordered, and with one hoof, he slowly pushed Melody back from the window, eyes never wavering from the aliens.  They stood out in the street, clawed hands grasping their staffs, razor-sharp teeth poking out from the ends of their snouts, slit-like eyes darting around, as if searching for something.  He watched, trying to figure out what they could possibly be looking for.

Then, suddenly, he saw it.

“Our tracks!” he whispered sharply.

“What tracks?” Melody whispered back, confused.

“In the dirt outside,” he answered, while staring at the offending marks in the dirt leading up to the house.  “If they look over here, our hoof-prints will give away that somepony was out there.”  He started to worry, for while he might be able to knock out one Vectin, two of them were a different matter.  Especially, since they were armed.  What he needed, was a plan. 

Then, a though occurred.  “Hey, wasn't there a back door in the kitchen?” he asked.

“I dunno,” Melody replied.  “I didn't go in there.”

“Never mind,” he slowly and quietly led her back down the hallway, into the kitchen.  There wasn't a door, per say, but a hole in the wall that they could fit through one at a time.  Either way, it would do.

Provided he could move the two broken chairs in front of it.  Star sighed.  There was no way the two Vectin wouldn't hear the noise.  Maybe, if we had some sort of distraction, he thought.  But what could they use?  He was sure they wouldn't fall for the toss-a-stone-so-the-noise-gets-their-attention trick.  That would be too easy. 

Then, with a flash, he remembered where he was.  His grandmothers’ house.  His musically talented grandmothers’ house.

“Melody,” he whispered, “stay as quiet as you can, and help me look around.”

“For what?” she asked.

“Anything that would make noise,” he replied.  “I don’t know, maybe a music box or instrument or something.”

She gave him a skeptical look.  “I thought you said to be quiet.”

“Yes, but we can use something to make enough noise to distract them, while sneaking out the hole in the kitchen wall.”

“Oh.”  She looked around the kitchen.  “I don’t see anything.”

“Well, check the other room,” he said, following her out, half expecting to bump right into the lizards when they stepped through the door.

But no, the front room was just as quiet as they left it.  He scanned the dust-covered furniture, looking for anything he could have missed before.  But the room had nothing to offer him.

“Whoa!  What’s that?”  He turned, to see Melody had opened a small door, starring into the closet behind it.  He moved over to her, trying to see what had caught her attention.
“Let me see,” he ordered, and she moved over, revealing…
… a large, black box, partially covered by a dirty, white sheet.

“It’s a box,” he said.  “What’s the big deal?”

Melody reached out and pulled the sheet off, which fell to the floor in a cloud of dust, causing her to cough. 

“Easy,” he said, glancing back towards the front window.  The two Vectin were not in sight, but he had no idea just how good their hearing was. 

“Look!” said Melody, and he turned back to the closet.  With the sheet gone, he now saw what had caught her attention before.  Four depressed circles, looking like speakers, covered one side, with a large red button on the top.

“What do you think it is?” she asked.

“Well,” he replied, “it could be our distraction.  Assuming, it still works.”  He reached past her to get a hold on the speaker box, and tugged it forward.  “Great!  It’s on wheels,” he exclaimed.  “That should make this easier.”

“Make what easier?”  Melody tried to ask, but he was already moving the speaker-box towards the front door, trying to be as quiet as possible.  Watching him try to push past a chair, she got the idea and moved around him, pushing the chair out of the way.  With a nod of thanks, he moved past, and positioned the box right in front of the door. 

“Ok, you ready?” he asked

“Ready for what?”

He pointed back towards the kitchen.  “Go wait in there,” he said, “assuming this works, when the music starts, knock the broken chairs out of the way and dive through the hole.”

She looked worried.  “What about you?”

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said, “Now go!”

With a worried look, she returned to the kitchen, leaving Star alone with the silence of the abandoned room.  He moved to the window, and saw that the Vectin had moved.  A quick glance around, and he found them, still in the street, but directly in front of the door.  It was a miracle they hadn't noticed his and Mel’s hoof prints yet.

But the reprieve came to an abrupt end, as one of the lizards turned around, and finally noticed the tracks not four feet away from where he stood.  His head slowly lifted up, and Star could have sworn it stared right into his eyes. 

It’s now or never, he though, and looked down at the speaker box.  Come on Grandma Scratch, don’t let me down!  He reached back, and with a mighty swing, slammed his hoof onto the button.
 
The front panels slid open, to reveal a single, large speaker underneath, which started glowing with a bright, blue light, with a sound like it was charging up for something.  Star had but a moment to wonder what it was doing, when…

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!

With a flash, a column of blue/white energy lashed out from the speaker, accompanied by a blast of music.  It blew straight through the front door of the house, hitting the two Vectin soldiers, and kept on going.  Star watched in amazement and the blast went clean through the house across the street, taking the lizards with it.

But after just a few seconds, the energy and music died down, fading to silence once again.  He stood there, frozen in shock, starring at the remains of the front door. 

“What was that!” cried out Melody, looking out from the kitchen, and bringing him back to reality.          
“Uh…” was all he could say. 

“STAR!!” she screamed, pointing out the window.  He turned to look, as another of the spiked-wedge ships came down to land outside.  Finally, his brain started to wake up.  While the blast did manage to distract the Vectin, it also got the attention of even more.

“Run!”  Grabbing her front leg, he led her back to the kitchen.  A quick buck and the broken chairs crashed to the side.  There was no time for silence now.  Pointing a hoof at the hole, he quickly turned to his sister. 

“Go now!  Run behind the next house over!”  She scrambled to the hole, and he ended up shoving her through.  Ducking down, he pulled himself through the wall, belly scraping the dirt on the way out.  Standing back up, he took off; running after Sweet Melody’s fleeing shape, as she banked around the corner of the next house.  He turned the corner to follow-

KZZZEEEERTTT!!!!

-just as a bolt of orange energy hit the wall behind him.  That was too close! , he thought, turning to check on his sister.  Melody was standing there, waiting for him.
“Come on!” he shouted, “Keep going!”  They ran together, keeping along the wall of the collapsing home. 

KZZZEEEERTTT!!!!

Another bolt of orange flew past them, narrowly missing his tail.  Melody screamed.

 Knowing they couldn't stay out in the open, Star began looking for something, anything, they could use for cover.  A glance ahead told him they were approaching an intersection with another street.  On the far corner, was a building with its front door hanging off the hinges.  That will work, he thought, and turned to lead Melody to the building, as two more orange bolts few past them.  They ran across the street, up the steps, and dove through the doorway.  Without stopping, he led her across the room, and leaping behind the counter at the far end.  He reached out, and caught Melody as she ran past pulling her behind the counter with him, causing her to cry out.

“Quiet!” he said, holding a hoof over her mouth.  They remained still, waiting for the lizards’ next move.  Star glanced around, wondering how he was going to get them out of this.  Melody was panting heavily, tears running down her cheeks.  She was more scared then she’d ever been in her life, and he knew it.  Somehow, he had to get her to safety. 
            
Looking around, he saw the doorway leading to the back of the building.  “This way,” he whispered, getting up to run, and with Melody following, they ran into the room.  Shelves lined the walls, some still holding various bags and cans.  But the siblings didn't stop to see what they contained, as they kept running.  Thankfully, the room had a collapsed wall at the far end, which led them back outside.  Finding themselves behind a row of buildings, they continued on, dodging the occasional piece of debris lying on the ground.  Leaving a cloud of dust in their wake, they ran…


----------------------------


There were four of them, walking slowly down the street, staffs held out in front, ready to aim at anything they could find.  Each walked on two legs, their forked tongues occasionally poking out of their mouths, sampling the air around them.  Eyes darting around, looking for any signs of their prey. 

Star watched the Vectin soldiers from the window of the old shop they were hiding in, waiting for them to move further down the street.  He looked at the sky, and the setting sun in the distance.  For the past few hours, he and Melody had played a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with the lizards, running from building to building, looking for any way to sneak past them. 

But the Vectin were efficient hunters.  Each time they found a place to hide, it didn't take long for the lizards to follow them.  Whether by smell, footprints, or some other means, they followed…
“Hey, look at what I found!”

He turned away from the window to look back into the shop.  Sweet Melody was standing at the far side of the room, next to a now open chest.  She was trying to pull out some kind of cloth from it.

“What are you doing?” he asked, quietly.   “What is that?”

“Looks like a dress!” she replied, and, fully removing it from the chest, held it up in front of her.  The dress was a light blue, with several jems sown into it, though one could see where some were missing.  “Wachya think?”

“I think you should leave it alone,” he replied.  “We can’t take it anyway; it would just slow you down.”

“Party pooper,” she whined, folding the dress back up and putting it back into the chest.   “But it looked so pretty.”  Closing the chest, she started to wander around the room, poking her hoofs into other boxes and chests that lay around.  “Oh look!” she exclaimed, “There’s more dresses!”

Star rolled his eyes, and turned back to the window.  We’re being hunted, and she’s going nuts over some rags!  But at least she wasn't crying or scared.  Well, for the moment anyway. 

Looking out over the dirt road, he watched the Vectin soldiers continue past their hiding place.  They still had their staffs held out, as if expecting an attack at any moment.  We can’t hide here forever, he thought.  Surely the lizards would check the building soon.  But where could they go?

“… the station…..”

“Huh?” he nearly jumped.  “Who said that?”

“Who said what?” asked Melody, giving him a weird stare, dropping the cloth she was holding.  “I didn't say anything.”

“Not you,” he replied, looking around.  “Another voice, saying something about a station.”

She tilted her head to one side, her face showing confusion.  “Star Gaze, what are you talking about?”

Stepping away from the window, he started pacing around the room, while his sister watched.  He knew he heard something.  But what station?  Where was it?  And why did the voice want him to go there?  He kept pacing, frustration growing inside him.   It didn't matter where they went, the Vectin would just follow them.  All the streets were made of dirt, and anywhere they ran, they would leave tracks-

He froze mid-stride.  Of course!  The train station!  They could walk along the metal train tracks, which would keep them from leaving hoof prints in the dirt!  Why didn't I think of that!

Turning to Melody, “Come on, I know where to go.”

“Where?” she asked, but he was already pulling her towards the door.  Peeking out the crack, he saw the four Vectin farther down the street, looking like they were getting ready to turn around.  It was now or never.

“Let’s go!”  He led her out the door.  Clinging to the wall of the shop, the two ponies moved around the building, heading away from the aliens.  And not a moment too soon, as one of the lizards turned around just after Melody followed her brother around the curved shop, just out of sight.  Once they were around the back of the building, Star turned to his sister, and pointed a hoof away from them.

“That way!  Run!”  They took off, heading away from the round shop building, and headed back across the town.  Having a vague idea of which direction to go, Star charged down the street, Melody right behind him.  They passed a few more deserted buildings, dodged abandoned carts and carriages, and jumped over broken boxes, furniture, and other random junk.

“Over there!” he called out, and banked into a new direction.  A quick glance behind told him Melody was still keeping up, but was clearly getting tired. 

A howl in the distance told him that their hunters new they were moving.  It was now or never…

They rounded another old shop, and there it was!  Just down the path, a ragged old building with a sloped roof.  And sitting next to it, rusting away was a train.  With a final grunt, he charged down the path to the building, and ducked around it, taking cover next to the old engine.  Before he could even catch his breath, Melody crashed right into him, sending both of them tumbling down the platform, landing into a pile of forgotten luggage.

With a moan, Star picked himself up, an old bag falling off of his back.  A cough made him turn around, to see Melody lying on the ground, a suitcase resting against her side.

“You ok?” he asked, reaching out to push the offending luggage away, and then helping her back to her feet.

“I think so,” she replied, shaking the dust out of her mane.  “Sorry about that.  I wasn't watching where I was going.”

“No problem,” he said, resting a hoof on her shoulder.  He looked down the platform.  It was covered with random bags and suitcases, with the empty train sitting alongside.  One of the cars still had an intact roof.  “Let’s hide in there.”  Melody helped him pull the door open, and they entered, to find a car with dust covered benches, a few newspapers, some more boxes, and a single crate.  Approaching it, he read the label on the side.

“Sweet Apple Acres:  Canned Apple slices,” he read.  “I wonder how long these have been here.”

“Can we open one?” Melody asked, “I’m starving!”

“You do realize that those cans are at least sixty years old, right?” he said, giving her a puzzled look.

“Only one way to find out!” she replied, and reached for a can.  After a few moments of tugging, she was able to pull off the lid, only to find…

…”Dried apple slic-“she cried out, before Star put a hoof over her mouth.

“QUIET!” he snapped, while looking back over his shoulder.  He couldn't see any movement outside the windows, but he did hear something.  Sounds of hissing and growling, coming closer…

The two siblings kept as quiet as possible, hiding under one of the car’s benches.  Clutching her brother tightly, Sweet Melody squeezed her eyes shut.  Star listened to the sounds, waiting for them to either move on or storm the train.

After a few minutes, the growling slowly faded away.  Star held onto Melody for an extra ten minutes, before he decided the Vectin had moved on.  Releasing her, they crawled out from under the bench.

Melody squirmed free, and, retrieving the can, started pulling out apple slices.  Cramming a few into her mouth, she offered the can to her brother.

“Wampf somf?” she asked, talking with a mouthful.  He sighed, and taking the can, poured the remaining slices into his own mouth.  He chewed for a few moments, before swallowing.

“Hmm, not too bad,” he said, while Melody was busy trying to open another can.  He watched as she pulled the top off, and dove right in.  Turning to look out the window, he noticed the sun fading in the distance.  We might have to spend the night here, he thought.  As if to encourage his decision, a loud whine came from above, as another of the creatures’ ships flew past overhead, heading deeper into the abandoned town.  “Yeah, we’re definitely staying put.”

“Huh?” asked Melody, finally putting down the now empty can.  “What did you say?”

“I said, we’re going to stay here for the night,” he replied.  “The soldiers are still out there, but they can’t find us in the dark.  We’re better off waiting here until morning.  Hopefully, they’ll have moved on by then.”

She sighed, and looked out the window, towards the setting sun.  Tears started to appear in her eyes.  “I wish we were back home…”

“Me too,” he agreed, and reached out to pull her close.  “But don’t you worry.  We’ll get back there eventually.”  He gave her a soft smile.

Melody weakly smiled back, then leaned into her brother’s side.  “You promise?”

Giving her a light squeeze, “I promise.  Get some rest now.”  Melody lowered her head to rest on her front legs, and Star laid down beside her, to help keep her warm.  He looked up out the window, watching the sun set in the distance, and contemplated what happened earlier.  Something had lead them to the train.  Something, or somepony.  Who are you?, he thought, asking the mental silence.  But there was no answer.  Perhaps one day, he just might find out…