//------------------------------// // VI. Advance // Story: From Skies Above // by Sparklight //------------------------------// MLP FiM is owned by Hasbro. All characters belong to their respective owners. From Skies Above – Advance The doors swung open and light shone brightly into the room, illuminating the elders and Banewin. A small group of gryphons entered, dragging something between them. With an echoing crash the doors shut, considerably dimming the room. The torches on the walls provided the only light, bathing the chamber in an orange glow. The newcomers dropped their cargo on the floor before their clan leader, then bowed respectfully. One of the elders gasped audibly, the others suppressing similar outbursts of surprise. Banewin’s eyes widened slightly, but his face soon twisted into a grin. Hyava was the first to speak. “What is your name, hunter?” The hen held her head high with a slight gleam in her eyes. “I am Taera.” “You have done well, Taera. Do not keep us waiting, tell your story, how did you slay the beast, and what of the others?” “We were only able to find two of them.” Taera began. “They were in the mountains, most likely scouting, or searching for food.” The hen proceeded to explain her tactics and the outcome of the fight. The elders listened intently, but Banewin’s expression never changed during the recount. “We were only able to bring this one, the wyvern kept the other, but we did manage to recover both weapons.” As Taera finished, she signalled to her companions, two of which stepped forward, presenting the alien’s mysterious weapons. The base of Banewin’s beak curled up into a grin. He gestured to one of his guards, who approached and bowed. “See to it that these brave hunters-” he waved a claw at Taera and her warriors, “-are rewarded for their efforts.” Taera bowed. “Thank you, sire.” “You are dismissed. Leave the body and the weapons.” With their final bows, the hunters filed out of the chamber, following the guard. The heavy wooden door closed loudly behind them, echoing through to hall. “This is momentous news!” Hyava cried, “Their weapons are in our grasp! If we could learn from them, find out how they work, then we would have the strongest military force on the planet! We could conquer the world!” “That’s if we could find out how they work.” Yalek said, “They are aliens, their technology could work in ways that we couldn’t begin to comprehend.” “It would to you good not to be so pessimistic, Yalek,” Kyarth said, “There may be every chance that we will come up with nothing, but that does not mean we cannot try. Sire? Your thoughts?” Banewin merely nodded. “Learn what you can. This is too greater opportunity to waste.” “Sire.” Kyarth bowed before calling a guard over. He spoke with the gryphon, instructing him on the fate of the alien technology. With a bow, the gryphon collected up the weapons and proceeded to the exit.” When the door slammed shut, Kyarth turned to the other elders. “Our forces continue to scout the mountains. They cannot hide forever.” “Now, that only leaves one other matter to attend too.” Yalek began, “We have received no response from the Equestrians, and they continue to bolster their forces around the alien ship.” Banewin growled, prompting Yalek to pause, but when the clan leader showed no signs of speaking he continued. “We have given them ample time to respond to our demands, yet the Princess’ remain silent and their troops still plague our land. It seems the longer we wait the stronger their forces around the crash site grow, so if we must strike, now is the time to do so.” “I do not think such a move would be wise.” Maelon said, “Our scouts are reporting activity of the Frostwing clan along our northern border. It seems they know of our conflict with the Equestrians, and moving a large amount of warriors to fight the ponies would leave our defences severely weakened. And that’s not to mention the creatures that are already roaming our lands or the response of the Equestrians. Our forces are stretched thin enough, sire, there could be dire consequences if we were too attack.” “That ship is too greater asset to lose!” Hyava countered, “It could have even greater weapons stored in its darkest corners! Weapons that we could use to defeat the Frostwings and the Equestrians!” “And what if the Equestrians have found these weapons? Our forces would be slaughtered and we would be near defenceless!” Maelon cried. “Bah! Celestia doesn’t have the nerve to try and harness that kind of power!” Hyava growled, “She fears such power and would rather hide it away where no one would lay eyes upon its might than use it to its full potential! She fears change, and clings to the old ways! Look at how much Equestria has progressed over the past thousand years! They have gone nowhere! The Princess monitors and controls any technological or magical advancement, and acts swiftly when anything threatens her rule! She is a tyrant!” “Enough.” Banewin raised his claw into the air, speaking clearly, but without anger. The elders silenced themselves immediately. “Maelon’s concerns are warranted, but Hyava speaks truth: That ship is to valuable an asset too lose, especially to the Equestrians. We will regain control.” Hyava beamed at her victory, whilst Maelon lowered his head and grumbled inaudibly. “Now, Hyava.” Banewin continued, “What of Celestia’s little pet?” “Security around the creature has been significantly tightened, but I was able to find out that it appears to be co-operating with the Equestrians.” Banewin frowned. “This is all the more reason for it to die. We cannot let her begin peaceful negotiations with these monsters. An alliance between them could destroy us.” “Do not fear, sire,” Hyava had an unnerving smile on her face, “I have a plan.” * The old gryphon held the bowstring taught, taking careful aim at his target. The head of the arrow gleamed in the morning light as the hunter took in the speed and direction of the wind. Satisfied with his findings, he adjusted his aim. His prey was unaware of his presence, the shaggy goat trudging alone through the mountains. The anticipation was almost palpable for the hunter. Just a few more degrees... *BLAM!* In a spray of red mist and snow the goat collapsed. The hunter struggled to hold back the surprised squawk that had almost escaped his beak, along with the arrow that had almost leapt from the bow at the sudden sound. A tall, dark figure left its hiding place, trotting toward the dead goat. The hunter instinctively shrunk back at the arrival of this new creature. “What the...?” he muttered under his breath. The creature didn’t seem to notice him, its focus directed toward the goat it had slain only moments ago. The hunter drew in a sharp intake of breath when several more figures appeared, a good five in total. They hurried over to their companion, speaking franticly, with several hanging back as if to cover the others or guide more to the group. The goat-killer silenced the speakers, directing them to his kill. The creatures were unlike anything the hunter had seen, and memories of tales of cruel and horrid monsters roaming the mountains resurfaced in his mind. I should tell someone about this. He thought. Replacing the arrow in his quiver, the hunter slowly began to back away, never taking his eyes off the creatures. *Click!* The hunter spun around at the sudden noise, finding himself staring death in the face, the shiny, reflective face in the form of one of the very creatures he had been watching previously. He stood, frozen with fear as the creature uttered a single, one syllable word. Whilst the language was nothing like any the hunter had heard, he somehow understood what the creature was saying. It was not a greeting or a message of peace as he would have hoped, but something he had said to his children many times, in games they would play when they were young. A single word that scared the life out of him. “Boo.” Then it raised its weapon and fired. * A pale glow encompassed the plate as it floated out of the cell. The cell’s occupant watched it. He was not concerned or threatened by the odd behaviour of such a seemingly insignificant object, as he would have been a few days ago, but instead watched it simply because there was little else to focus on. The floating plate was a common occurrence for the creature. The plate continued on its path through the air, slowing as it approached its destination. The guard responsible for the plate’s defiance of gravity looked over it quickly, before turning to the other gold clad pony. “He always leaves the hay. And the flowers.” The other guard took a quick glance of the alien. He remained in his bed, idly watching the two. “Maybe he just doesn’t like ‘em.” “Or he can’t eat it.” The unicorn sniffed the remaining food cautiously, before taking a quick bite. “That’s disgusting.” The other guard commented, screwing up his face upon seeing his companion. The unicorn shot back a quizzical look. “What?” A sigh was all he got. The unicorn placed the plate on a nearby table. A servant would come down and collect it later. The guard returned to his post. It wasn’t long before the silence began to get to him. He shifted uncomfortably, before finally deciding to speak again. “So, any word on when we’re moving him?” “You know as much as I do. So nope.” The guard replied said. “Do you at least know where we are moving him?” the unicorn asked, annoyed by his friend’s short responses. “Probably some guest suite somewhere.” “Isn’t that a little dangerous?” The guard sighed again, something he found himself doing a lot whilst in the company of this particular unicorn. “We are not going to let him run freely about the castle to do as he pleases, he will still be guarded. Only certain ponies will visit him.” He explained, “And you need to stop asking questions and trust the Princesses’ judgement.” The unicorn averted his gaze. “Yeah, yeah.” He looked back into the cell. The alien was still in the same position, lying on the bed. And he was still watching. Always watching. * The sun was on its way down through the sky as the Stalliongrad soldiers stood watch alongside their Royal counterparts, their golden and silver armour making a shining display amongst the fields of white and dark greys of the ruined ship. The last civilian transports shrank into the distance, small, dark dots in a seemingly endless expanse of blue. The storm had passed, and was now only a wall of clouds hanging over the northern mountains, leaving clear skies, marked by the occasional cloud. The wild weather was unusual for the ponies, as they were used to having their climate controlled by specialist teams. The thought of a storm bearing down on them at any time was not a welcoming one. In the wake of the previous storm, the clear weather was quite welcoming for the Equestrians, as the gryphons had recently given them a choice: Leave the area, or face another attack. The Princesses had made it clear that the ship was not to fall into the enemy’s talons under any circumstances. They knew that the Princesses would never desire to put their subjects into harm’s way without a good reason, so that left the assigned ponies will a single choice: face the oncoming gryphon force, which would, no doubt, be larger than the previous. All non-essential civilians were evacuated immediately, and several dispatches of troops were en route to the crash site. The weather had decided to move into the Equestrian’s favour this time, saving them from having to divert pegasi to clear the sky, and giving them a wide view of the area around the crash site, and any who would approach it. The camp had been dismantled and moved inside the ship, with rudimentary barricades and cover spots taking its place. Finally, a specialist from Canterlot, Aegis, had been brought in. The powerful unicorn was to devote his energy into creating a pale blue shield around the ship when it was to come under attack. It would be enough to hold off any attackers for several hours, and could be raised in less than a minute. Captain Valiant Effort’s eyes swept back and forth across the snowfields. His anticipation was almost palpable, and despite the chilling cold, he felt oddly hot. His excitement and fear lead him to shift his wings against his sides, fighting to keep his composure. He knew he needed to remain calm and stay composed, not just for himself, but for the soldiers under his command. It wouldn’t do well for their morale to see their captain have a nervous breakdown before a battle. It wasn’t knowing the battle was coming that caused him to fear, it was not knowing what the gryphons would unleash upon them. The half eagle, half lion race was constantly fighting, be its enemies other races, or itself. The continuous battles and the warlike nature of the gryphons had led them to progress in military advancements far faster than any of the other sentient races. Although they lacked the quality of weapons that the Royal Guard possessed, they made up for the disadvantage with their brutal training, making them top choices for the best warriors in the known world. Along with their training, the gryphons had refined their weapons of war, leaving the Equestrians and other races struggling to keep up. The gryphons could unleash a whole manner of weapons and soldiers against the ponies. At any moment, hundreds of warriors, backed by airships and other weapons platforms could come surging down the mountains. And there would be nothing the ponies could do to stop them. A pegasus landed next to Valiant, kicking up snow at the Captain’s hooves. The pegasus offered a swift salute. The captain recognised him from the groups assigned to patrol the skies and watch for any approach by gryphons, or other dangerous creatures. Perhaps the guard was here to report a force of gryphons five times the size of the defenders charging toward them? Valiant struggled to contain his fear. “What do you have for me?” the captain asked. “We’ve spotted something.” The pegasus began. Valiant cursed inwardly. “A small group, no more than twenty. All on the ground and heading this way.” Valiant raised an eyebrow. “Gryphons?” “No, sir. I’m not sure what they are.” Valiant examined the guard’s expression for any sign that this might be some sort of extremely unprofessional prank. “You’re not sure?” The guard swallowed. “I... I think they might be the creatures, sir. The aliens.” Oh no. Valiant cursed again, audibly this time. “You’re sure?” “No, sir.” “Well get back out there and be sure!” The guard nodded frantically. “Yes, sir!” He spun around and launched himself into the air, speeding off back in the direction he had come from. Valiant watched him fly for a moment, before calling over a nearby soldier. “We may have incoming. Spread the word and tell everypony to be ready.” “Yes, sir.” The guard took off to complete his assigned duty, leaving alone Valiant to ponder the new threat. * “So, no more hay?” Tranquil asked. The green maned earth pony stood in a small kitchen area, separate from the main prep rooms of most of the castle’s food. The kitchen counters were rather clean, as the room had been reserved for a single cook to prepare a meal that would go completely unnoticed by the majority of the castle dwellers. Only a few spots of mess over the counters gave away that the kitchen had been used. The guard before the cream coloured pony nodded. “Yup, he just leaves the stuff. I don’t know if he can’t eat it, or if he doesn’t just like it, but it just feels like a waste giving it to him if he isn’t going to eat it.” “Alight then.” Tranquil lowered the bag of hay, placing it aside on the counter. “Ok, just the vegetables left, then we’re done.” Tranquil grabbed the handle of the pot in her teeth and pulled it off the stove. She carefully made her way to the plate, and emptied the pot’s contents. An array of steamed vegetables fell, piling up on the plate with the other foods. “There we go!” she said cheerfully. The guard sniffed the dish, a smile breaking out on his face. “Lucky bastard. I wish I could cook as well as you.” A seductive smile broke out on Tranquil’s face as the unicorn levitated the plate into the air. “I aim to please. Maybe I could show you a thing or two.” The guard ran his eyes over the mare one last time before heading for the door to deliver the meal, his gaze lingering on her flank for a moment longer than necessary, and his thoughts definitely not focused on cooking. “I think I’ll hold you to that.” “It’s a date. Meet me back here after your shift.” With a final farewell, the guard left, the door hanging open behind him. Tranquil waited a moment before turning back to clean up the mess. She picked up the pot, the paused, questioning her actions. Was there really any reason to clean this place? With her mind made up, Tranquil started toward the door, with no intention of coming back. Lingering for longer than necessary would almost be suicide for the mare. The extra ingredient added to the meal would see to that. * The tea cup fell downward as Luna’s magic faltered. Had it not been for her sister, the ornate cup would have shattered on the marble floor. A new magical aura surrounded the cup, even keeping the hot liquid inside, and levitated it toward a nearby table. “Luna, I thought you had your magic mastered years ago.” Celesia joked as she set down the cup on the table. When there was no response she looked to her sister, beginning to feel concerned. “Luna?” The dark alicorn stood stock still, as if listening for a faint sound. Without warning she shot off toward the balcony connected to the chamber, leaving a puzzled Celestia behind. The Princess of the Sun snapped out of her confusion, giving chase to her sister. She passed through the threshold and into the warm afternoon air. Celestia made a quick mental note that is was almost time to lower the sun before turning her attention back to her sister’s strange behaviour. The alicorn in question stood in the centre of the circular balcony, staring up at the sky. “Luna, what is wrong?” Celestia asked as she approached. For a moment, silence reigned as Luna stared into the sky, before she uttered two words that chilled Celestia to the bone. “They’re here.” //Drake With a jolt the ship left FTL, slowing down roughly as it finished the jump. The warning lights that had painted the room a dull orange suddenly flared green, signalling that the Colmar was fully functional. Thick metal shutters began to retract themselves from the viewing windows of the bridge, allowing the crew to finally get a proper look at their destination. Captain Bailey waited patiently for the shutters to reveal the planet in which they approached. “Looks like Earth, doesn’t it?” a crewman commented. It did resemble the human home world, with vast expanses of blue oceans and green landmasses stretched across its surface. White flecks marked large cloud scattered through the atmosphere. It even had a moon of a similar size suspended in orbit. “Got it! Yamato’s right there on the-what the hell?” Bailey turned at the sound of the voice. A man was hunched over his console, eyebrows furrowed and eyes darting back and forth across the screen. “Sir, you might want to have a look at this!” Bailey approached the console swiftly, and the man moved back to give him space. On the screen was an enhanced image of part of the planet’s dark side, taken from one of the powerful cameras on the ship. “There.” The crewman pointed to a particular area of the planet. On the screen, several spots of light clustered on a landmass on the planet. Whilst faint, there were very much visible in the darkness. “Those are colonies. This place is inhabited.” “No, it can’t be.” Bailey shook his head, “There’s no record of any colonisation in this area. We would have known before we were dispatched.” Another man, looking at the same images on his own terminal spoke up. “What if it’s not ours?” The question hung in the air, unanswered. “I mean, it’s possible, isn’t it?” Bailey stayed silent, staring at the screen, his thoughts unknown to the men around him. The man who first noticed the anomaly observed his captain’s reaction. “Sir?” Bailey took a sharp intake of breath before straightening his back, and heading back toward his chair. “What about the Yamato? Are there any signs of survivors?” “From the looks of things it’s taken some serious damage, but is still relatively intact.” “Life boats?” “I’m picking up several scattered around the ship. Pretty close to the lights, too.” “Inform the SAR teams. I want them armed and ready to move ASAP." Two crewmen exchanged worried glances. “Armed, sir?” “If those are colonies, they’re not ours. In the event that their occupants are hostile I want our men to be ready. And find out whatever else you can.” “Yes, sir.” Bailey returned to his chair, resting his head on his right hand as he leaned to one side. The middle aged man’s eyes remained fixed on the planet, and its ominous lights. With a silent prayer, he wished the SAR teams luck. And Godspeed aswell. You may have noticed there's no artwork in this one. Well, there was nothing in there that struck me as really needing a picture that wouldn't be something I've already drawn before, so yeah. Thanks for reading guys, you know the drill: read, rate, fave, comment and tell your friends!