//------------------------------// // The Temple (Part 1) // Story: Hunters In Equestria // by DarthRevan //------------------------------// Ciede was desperately attempting to recloak after the plasma caster disabled it. He groaned when the purple unicorn noticed him. Her reaction was both immediate and expected. She screamed. "Princess Luna! I think we found our alien!" She yelled. The winged unicorn looked up in rage. "You! Is it you that hunts us for sport?!" The one named Luna yelled. Ciede looked around. The dead would've been honorable prey but it was not he who killed them. He slowly shook his head. "And I'm supposed to believe that the highly armed alien was not the one who killed these men?" She said. Ciede realized that The Bad-Blood had been here. He raised up two fingers. "Two? That's your story? Two highly armed aliens?" She added. The tan pegasus had gotten up. "Uhh, Luna. You did say two 'meteorites' had fallen." She said. Luna seemed thoughtful. "I want you to prove you did not kill them!" She roared. At this time, Ciede was getting quite annoyed with the whole situation. He leapt down to the ground. He pointed at himself and then the temple. He began to walk up to the destroyed doors. The purple one approached him. "H-Hold up!" She ordered. "Princess Luna of Equestria has given you an order!" The timid unicorn said. Ciede had to like her courage. He didn't like much else. He growled as he stared her down. With a huff, he turned back towards the temple. "If you truly are a creature of the hunt, then hear my challenge." Luna began. Ciede stopped. This equine was going to challenge him? "Me and you. No weapons beyond our natural abilities. We fight until one of us bleeds. If I win, you will comply with my investigation. If you win, we let you go unhindered." Luna added. The spoils of victory did not matter to Ciede. If there was a challenge, he had to meet it. He turned towards Luna and bowed. Luna took up a fighting stance. Ciede removed his gauntlets. He removed his chestplate. A hiss rang out as he disconnected his helmet from his backplate. Yearling and Twilight gasped as his mandibles were revealed. He removed an object from his helmet and attached it to his throat. "Luna. Know that, today, you challenge a Yautja. I will fight with all my spirit and, for your sake, you better do the same." Ciede said. He dropped into a fighting stance similar to Earth martial arts. With a roar, he charged. Luna barely had time to jump out of the way before Ciede trampled her. She quickly rose and leapt on his back. The sheer force of her hooves blows was enough to stagger Ciede. He reached around with a clawed hand and grabbed tight. Luna gasped from the sharp pain but her skin did not break. With a flick of his arms, he sent her flying. Luna rose and flew into the air. She dive bombed Ciede, hoping to puncture his skin with her horn. Ciede sidestepped at the last moment and dropped his elbow on her back. She rolled as she hit the ground and rose. "You are a powerful fighter, Yautja." She said. "Your endurance is...surprisingly." Ciede pointed out. With a smirk, the princess of the night blasted a beam of energy at Ciede. The fast moving projectile caught Ciede off guard and hit him square in the chest. A blast of cold rushed through his body, causing his body to shake. Yearling noted this. "His kind evolved in heated environments!" She exclaimed. Ciede growled. "Astute observation." He said. He charged Luna once more and tackled the alicorn to the ground. He began punching at her face, hoping to break her muzzle. Luna took these hits like a champ and waited for her opportunity. Soon, it presented itself. Ciede had brought both his fists up, wanting to slam them into her face. Using her now free hooves, she bucked him in the chin. The Yautja was sent flying. When he rose, he wiped his chin with a fist. Something on it made him pause. He looked at his fist in shock. Fluorescent green blood. The buck had cut one of his mandibles. Realizing this, he bowed. "Congratulations. Not many can do what you have just done." He quickly reapplied his armor. Luna had approached him. "Now you must help with my investigation." She said. Ciede nodded. "Before I do, there is a Yautja custom addressing the victory of an opponent." He reached towards his back. He brought out his spear. He bowed and held it out. "You have bested me in combat so I must treat you as an equal." He explained. Luna took a hold of the spear with her magic. She twirled it around and made a few stabbing motions. "It is a beautiful weapon." She noted. "Indeed. Now, I suppose the three of you are looking for the culprit behind this hunt?" Ciede asked. Yearling and Twilight approached. "Yeah. The one from the ship." Yearling said. "Then we are hunting the same prey. This Bad-Blood, the name for criminals in my culture, destroyed my home and killed my brother." Ciede explained. "I will end him." Ciede said. "So this 'Bad-Blood' is in the temple?" Twilight asked. Ciede nodded. "This temple is reminiscent of our hunting grounds on Earth, the homeworld of a species known as humans. What it's doing here, I have no clue. My father discovered this world a mere thousand years ago." Ciede explained. Luna seemed shocked. "Your father was here?" She asked. "Indeed. This photo would indicate he befriended a unicorn by the name of Starswirl. His presence here would also explain the translator working." Ciede explained. Twilight looked agape at the photo Ciede produced. "Your father knew Starswirl The Bearded?!" She exclaimed. "It would appear so." Ciede said. "I'm going into the temple and leaving with his head on a pike. "We shall accompany you. This Bad-Blood has killed many people who did not deserve to die." Luna explained. "We wish to see it stopped." Ciede looked at the trio carefully. "I understand your plight but this is my problem. My criminal to hunt." Ciede said. Luna grimaced. "And I understand your plight but this is our world and our people dying. We're going." She said. "Fine. Just don't do anything to hinder my justice." Ciede warned. The four unlikely allies looked themselves over and turned to the temple. ------------------------- The walls in the entrance to the temple were littered with murals. These paintings depicted zebra and Yautja warriors fighting the dreaded Parasites. Ciede studied these intently. The adult drones were quadriped and lacked claws. The teeth inside their equine mouths were much sharper than the ones Ciede were used to. The tail was also covered in spikes. "The Serpents were here once?" Ciede asked. "If that's the word for those horrible Parasites, then yes." Luna answered. "How do you know them?" She asked. "The Serpents are the most dangerous creatures in the known universe. They are the ultimate prey." Ciede explained. "However, we keep a record of Serpent hunting worlds and this planet was not on it. They were not here naturally." Ciede added. Twilight approached him. "What was your fathers name? Maybe Starswirl mentioned him without revealing his alien origin." Twilight asked. Ciede paused for a moment. "I do not know. He died while my mother was pregnant with me and my brother, Cresun, and when a Yautja dies he is remembered for his greatest achievement. They called my father World-Killer." Ciede explained. "If this is a hunting temple, then there is only one place The Bad-Blood would go." Ciede added. "Where?" Yearling asked. "The Sacrificial Chamber." ------------------------- The Bad-Blood paid no mind to the intricate details of the murals. Instead, he focused on the door in front of him. Written in the Yautja language were the words 'Here lies the World-Killer'. With a chuckle, it began to blast away at the door. ------------------------- Yearling was writing down every symbol and painting she saw in her notebook. "If you want a translator, all you'd have to do is ask." Ciede pointed out. He grabbed the notebook. "What is your alphabet? ABC format?" He asked. Yearling nodded. Ciede scrawled a quick translator on a single page. "Thanks." Yearling said. Ciede nodded. The four approached a large door. Ciede growled. "What is this room?" Luna asked. "The Serpent hunting grounds." Ciede explained. "Worry not. This temple was only recently reopened by The Bad-Blood. Any Serpents in here are long dead." He added. Ciede pushed the heavy door open. A pasty white object immediately fell on him. With a roar, he threw it off. It was a malnourished Serpent corpse. Twilight giggled. "Didn't know Yautja could get scared." She teased. "Any hunter who does not feel fear, is doomed to fail." Ciede defended. He looked at the equine Serpent. "Like I said, starved to death " ------------------------- Its business in the room completed, The Bad-Blood headed to its next objective. This door required more finesse than the previous door. It typed a few buttons on the wall. The door slid open as mist flew out. After cloaking, it walked in. Various unopened Serpent eggs were nearby but these were not its target. With a chuckle, it located its target. The Royal Egg. ------------------------- The group was nearing The Sacrificial Chamber. "The viewing room is up here." Ciede said, pointing to a flight of stairs. "If The Bad-Blood is here, we'll be able to locate him with the computer." Ciede explained. The four went up the flight of stairs and entered a room. One wall of the room was completely made of plastic glass. Next to that was a trio of computers. Ciede approached these. "Alright. Searching for wrist computer signals." He said. Luna was looking through the glass, mouth agape. "Ciede." She said slowly. "Quiet! This is hard work." Ciede answered. Twilight noted the glass too. "Ciede!" She exclaimed. Ciede growled in response. Yearling looked out the window. "CIEDE!" She screamed. Ciede slammed a fist into the computer. "Gods dammit, what?!" He snapped, looking out the glass. What he saw, shocked him. Laying in the sacrificial table was a Yautja. The armor was easily recognizable to Ciede. He had seen it many times in photos and videos. "F-Father..." He quietly said. The Bad-Blood was in the room with the helmet-less World-Killer. "How are you alive?" Ciede wondered out loud. The Bad-Blood approached a lever near the table. Upon pulling it, a pillar was lowered to the table. The object on the pillar was immediately recognizable to both Ciede and Luna. "An Alpha Parasite egg!" Luna explained. Ciede growled. "The Queen Egg." He said. He began punching, stabbing, and shooting at the glass to no avail. The noise attracted the attention of The Bad-Blood. It approached the glass and removed its mask. Its face had small spikes over the bone ridges and the tattoo of a silver blade going along side by side with its eye scar. To the three ponies, it was the face of a killer. To Ciede, it was the face of someone he knew. "Welcome to the end of the world, brother!"