//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Visiting the Neighbours // Story: Warframe: Equestria // by Urimas Ebonheart //------------------------------// Warframe: Equestria Chapter 5: Visiting the Neighbours POV: Karn / Location: Equus - Canterlot Castle Throne Room The white equine with blue hair is starting to get aggressive, I slowly move my right hand to my right thigh to draw my Lex if need be. The purple one is arguing with him while Nightshade goes on the defensive, I am now holding the grip of my pistol waiting for him to make the next move. Without warning, a blue bubble surrounds me and Nightshade, I notice the white and blue equine's horn is glowing the same colour so I guess he's responsible for trapping us. I draw my Heat Dagger with my left hand and thrust it at the bubble, the point of contact sparks with blue energy and the dagger starts to burn away at the bubble, but the equine just reinforces the bubble which makes my dagger useless against it now. I whistle loudly and Nightshade gets behind me as I put my dagger away, I crouch down and dig my hands and feet into the stone floor, I lean back and with a roar I charge forward and slam into the shield. The energy I am emitting and the kinetic force shatters the bubble, I continue and tackle him which launches him a good ten metres away into a wall. I draw my Lex and point it at him with a scowl on my real face, the large white equine moves in my way with a scowl of her own. I continue to point my pistol at her but after about fifteen seconds I slowly lower it, a collective sigh echoes throughout the room, but I haven't holstered my weapon. Nightshade steps around me still growling, just waiting for the command to attack. Surprisingly the white and blue equine groans as he wobbles onto his feet. He shakes his head and starts to glare at me but the large white one is giving him a stern talking to. How he can stand up after a hit like that I'm not sure, but he is lucky to still be breathing. A tap on my thigh gets my attention and I look down to the purple one who looks apologetic and what I think is a thankful smile. I look back to my attacker who is nodding to the large white one, but he still looks like he wants to fight. POV: Shining Armour / Location: Equus - Canterlot Castle Throne Room Sweet Celestia that thing hits hard, my ears are still ringing from the tackle he gave me. If it was not for Celestia's protection spell I would be a smear on the wall right now. Celestia orders me to stand down but I know that thing is a threat to Equestria. Before anything else is said the creature points that blunt looking object to a nearby pillar and squeezes its finger, a loud bang echoes throughout the room worsening the ringing in my ears as everypony covers their ears, a large crater is carved into the marble pillar with a hole going through it which looks like the marble is slightly melted. Well I guess I got my demonstration, that thing could probably rip trough our armour without any resistance! If it's a show of force, then he's proved he's not one to be taken lightly. Twily thumps his leg and lectures him about using that thing in here, Celestia looks like she's just avoided unleashing Tartarus itself. POV: Celestia / Location: Equus - Canterlot Castle Throne Room I am glad this did not escalate, I don't even know if I could even take him head on myself. Chrysalis managed to over power me and yet our guest drove her off with little effort. "Now, Captain Armour. I would ask you not anger him again. For Equestria's sake and yours," I tell him sternly. My horn glows as I pick up the pieces of the damaged pillar and slowly repair it, a few pieces are missing but they can be replaced later. I then look to Twilight. "Twilight, can you take our new friend here to guest room number three? Maybe we can convince him to leave his vessel while Luna and I have to start with the repairs to Canterlot and check to see if anypony was taken by the changelings," I ask her. "Of course, Princess," she replies. She taps on his thigh and waves at him to follow her. "Come on you, let's get you settled in." The being looks from Twilight to Shining then to me and then back to Twilight, he nodded and left with Twilight and her friends. "Princess, I still think letting him stay here is a bad idea, we don't know anything about him or what he's fully capable of or even what his motives are," the Captain warns me. "I understand your concern, but he has proved so far to be friendly and willing to help us," I reply. "But for how long," he mutters. POV: Twilight Sparkle / Location: Equus - Canterlot Castle Guest Wing I should be mad at the biped for hitting my brother, but it was self defence and my brother did provoke him. I look back to the biped and see that blank faced head of his, I wonder what he is thinking after that tussle? We arrived at the guest wing of the castle and open the door with the number three on it. I point to the biped and then to the room, he looks inside but stops at the door frame, he looks back at me and shakes his head. No? What does he mean no? He points to himself then waves us to follow. "Where's he goin'?" Applejack asks. "I don't know, but it seems he doesn't want to sleep here..." I trail off wondering where he might be going. We head back out to the fields where his ship has landed. I smile in hopes to finally seeing the inside as he opens up a door in the side. He looks back at us and places his palms together and rests the side of his head on them then points to his ship. I guess he wants to sleep in his own ship, well, I see no harm in that. We don't want him to feel cornered or trapped in the castle. I point to myself and then to my eyes and then to his ship, he hums in thought but eventually nodded. I squeal and follow him inside as did the others. We look around and see technology never even imagined before, even spike's sci-fi comics pale in comparison! "Look at all this stuff! I wonder what most of it does?" Dash says and goes over to a mat that's in front of a large window... Wait... Window? I can see outside as at least half of the front is see through. I quickly go back out and look at where the window is, only to see metal. How is that possible? POV: Rainbow Dash / Location: Equus - Canterlot Castle Field - Inside the Orbiter This is soooo awsome! Hey, I wonder what this thing is? I sit down on a mat and suddenly four balls surround me causing me to yelp. The others giggle at me but I'm too focused on what I am looking at. It's an image of our world with a green dot blinking at where Canterlot is. I can see a blue dot where Ponyville is as well as Cloudsdale. "Guys, look at this!" I say to them. Twilight comes back in and they crowd around me as we all look at it, Pinkie pokes where Ponyville is and the ball turns and zooms in on it. Everypony 'oooooos' at it and Pinkie presses it again, the ship's door closes and we start to lift up off the ground. We look at the castle to see the Princesses at a balcony looking over the city, they turn to us with confused and worried expressions when they hear the noise coming from the ship. Twilight quickly writes a letter and has spike send it, we see the letter appear at Celestia and she reads it, she smiles and waves at us which we wave back. Then suddenly the ship lurches forward, but surprisingly we felt none of the g-forces. "Wow this thing is moving fast!" I say aloud. "It sure is! I think we'll reach Ponyville in a matter of minutes! It took us two hours to get to Canterlot by train!" Twilight says excitedly. I wonder if the big guy will let me see those wings of his... We look back to see him going down a ramp that we didn't notice before. POV: Twilight Sparkle / Location: Equus - On route to Ponyville - Inside the Orbiter We walk down the ramp to see another room, Inside is a few areas with different things on them. To the right is a table of some kind that has some sort of robotic arm that is building something. To the left is another table with what look like electronic chips and glowing devices. To the left next to the chip table is a small round pod like area where the biped's dog goes over to and curls up on. To the right next to the mechanical arm table is the biped's strange floating weapon which just floats there. And in the back middle is what I can only guess is an armoury since it has a few of his weapons hung around it and he has quite a few of them. I recognise staffs, axes, and swords, but there's a few of those strange looking ones as well. One catches my attention though. Why would he have a bow if he has those other powerful things? I ignore it for now as I see Dash poking him and points to his waist, then to her wings. He goes over to the armoury and presses a button, the floor opens up as the metal wings are brought up. Dash gasps and hovers around them. "They look sooo cool! Do you think he'll make me one of them?" she asks me with a hopeful tone. "I doubt it, it's designed to fit him, not a Pony," I tell her. "Awwww," she whines and lands next to it while the biped checks the wings over with some sort of tool. A mechanical voice speaks up making us jump, the biped looks up at the ship and replies to it. He points to the front of the ship, so we walk back up the ramp and into the main compartment. We see Ponyville outside with a few Ponies looking at the ship fearfully. "Oh dear," I say. POV: Karn / Location: Equus - Ponyville I look outside to see a few equines looking at my Orbiter with fear in their eyes. The Orbiter lands in the centre of town next to a tall cylindrical building with flags on the roof. A belch followed by a flash behind me grabs my attention as I see a scroll fall to the floor where the purple one floats it up and reads it. She looks from the scroll, to me, then back to the scroll and smiles. I open the door and let them out first. POV: Mayor Mare / Location: Equus - Ponyville "What is that thing?" Colgate asks as everypony starts to gather around it with caution or fear. I speak up to hopefully calm them down. "Everypony calm down! I'm sure whatever it is, it won't harm anypony... I hope." Some sort of door then opens up on the side, I let out a sigh of relief seeing Twilight and the others walk off talking to each other excitedly, but it's short lived as a tall dark looking creature follows out behind them. "AAAAAAHHH! IT'S A FACELESS MONSTER! RUN!" Roseluck screams out. "THE HORROR! THE HORROR!" Daisy then yells as everypony starts running around. Twilight's reaction to this was just to face-hoof. POV: Karn / Location: Equus - Ponyville Well this is kind of amusing. The equines are running around screaming their heads off, some are even running into each other or buildings. The cyan and pink ones are giggling at the townsfolk while the purple one seems to be trying to calm them down... but isn't getting very far with it. I decide to wait in my Orbiter until it's safe to come back out, I close the door behind me and head over to the foundry. I had a new weapon being fabricated. A pair of retractable Venka claws that are now completed. They we're severely damaged during a mission and I never got around to repairing them till now. "Ordis, I'll be in my chamber if you need me, let me know if the equines try to get my attention," I tell him and put the claws into my armoury. "Of course, Operator." I step into my chamber and stand in front of my body, I could do with some meditation. I sit cross legged and hover in place as I place the back of my Warframes hands on its knees, I then relax and let my mind wander to my Mindscape. A few seconds later, the familiar feeling of being pulled out of my own body happens and I'm in my Mindscape that resembles the void. I reflect on what has happened, I'm stranded on an uncharted planet with a new sentient and sapient race who so far are willing to give me a chance here. Greavus escaped and is now a threat to all Tenno. I have no way to contact Lotus or reach orbit until the thrusters are back online and I have a signal booster fabricated. I sigh and look up into the artificial void above me, I got a lot of work to do. After some time Ordis speaks up. "Operator, the purple coloured equine is trying to get your attention," he tells me. "Thank you, Ordis," I reply and return to my Warframe. Once back, I lower my frame to the floor, disconnect from it and open my eyes, maybe letting them see my real body will calm them down as I don't look as intimidating as my Rhino Warframe. I can still defend myself if need be with my void power. POV: Twilight Sparkle / Location: Equus - Ponyville I've managed to calm the town down and knock on the ship's door, I can hear noises inside before the door opens up. I gasp as the biped is looking down at me in the same form he showed us in Canterlot, I smile and wave at him to follow me, we then walk over to Mayor Mare. "Mayor, this is the one who drove off the Changelings from Canterlot," I tell her. "W-Well, it's a p-pleasure to meet y-you," she stutters but looks confused. "Its okay Mayor, he's friendly but he doesn't speak Equestrian," I tell her. She then looks at me. "T-Then how have you been c-communicating with him?" she asks. I point to the biped and then wave towards myself, he walks up to my side and looks down to the Mayor. She smiles sheepishly as he kneels down to eye level and smiles at her. Everypony moves in slowly to get a better look at the previously 'faceless monster'. I hear a gasp and turn to see Lyra with wide eyes. "I KNEW THEY WERE REAL!" she yells out. "What were real?" I ask her. "Whatever he is! I told you about the skeletons like him I found when I got lost in the Everfree. I found that weird metal thingy with pictures and remains of creatures like him!" Lyra then frowns. "Actually, that thing looks kinda like the metal one I found!" she says pointing to the ship. Oh now I remember, she got lost trying to get to Zecora's hut and when she finally came back she was ranting about some big metal monster with bones inside it or something, but we just thought she was seeing things. "Do you remember where it is?" I ask, now much more interested. She sighs and shakes her head. "It was eight months ago, I don't remember." Oh well, that's disappointing, maybe the biped can find it with his technology. Lyra trots forward and looks at the biped all over. "Well, now that I'm looking at him, he looks a bit different then the ones I saw... The others were much more bulkier and had greenish blue metal all over them, even some of their limbs were made of metal." "Oh no," I say as the other girls also look terrified, she just described those disfigured aliens the biped showed us. "Lyra, did you see any of them still alive?" I ask her seriously. She shakes her head. "No they were all just bones and metal, but I didn't stick around to find out." POV: Chrysalis / Location: Equus - Everfree Forest Hive. I recovered some interesting things from that metal wreck, some looked like the strange weapon that monster had on it, but this jar of orange and blue liquid is the most intriguing, I can faintly hear voices coming from it but I cant understand any of the words its saying. Still, I feel drawn to it nonetheless. I use my magic to slowly twist the lid off, but the moment it's off the mass leaps out and starts to cover my face and forces its way down my throat. My drones try to get it off but they too fall victim to it. I then hear a voice in my head speaking in Equestrian this time. "Embrace us, for we are your flesh."