Blood smeared over the metal claws that replaced his fingers. Combat model that replaced his arms when he lost them nearly fifteen thousand conscious years ago. He knew not how long it had actually been and he didn't care. Not with what he was facing now. They had no idea what it was or even why it was. Sword in one hand leveled out at the dark thing that rose up from the corner of the ship. Blood dribbled down from its dark ethereal talons and fangs.
He was all that was left. Pausing for a moment as he kneeled down kissing his daughter's forehead as his left hand slid out from under her head laying her still upon the cold metal deck of the ship. He wished he still had his fingers so he could have felt her soft hair over them one last time. For the last ten thousand years these men and women were his comrades, his family. Now all that remained of the 12th Crusade of the Monarch's hand was this one soldier. "I have no idea what you are... but you literally cannot do any more to harm me than you already have...."
He stood up leveling his blade at the thing and glared. His pure white eyes strained as his pure white hair flowed over the streams of telekinetic energies that flowed off of him as he readied himself. He knew without a shadow of a doubt this was his end. All he desired now was to send this thing off to the depths of whatever hell it had crawled out of before he joined his daughter and wife.
257 souls on the ship and his was the only one that remained. His wargear flared with power as he pushed it into overdrive and the dark thing rose up screeching and gurgling before it charged. He did not budge an inch, simply letting it plow into him and sink its teeth into him. Fangs made of shadows punctured through his moleculary reconstructed steel armor and into his flesh. However, instead of pushing back like all the others fighting to the last breath. His every last ounce of power flowed inward upon a single point creating a singularity keeping the dark beast from retreating, as one small fraction of his mind and power reached out further. Past the darkness abomination that tore at his flesh, past the hangar bay they had all retreated to, and into the reactor that powered the warp engines and the FTL drives. In one motion his over extended powers overloaded the reactor.
Bjaarn did not see what happened next, he only opened his only remaining eye that was already half drowned in his own blood after what seemed like an eternity. He would honestly be surprised if any of his bones were not broken. His eye swiveled about seeing only trees. Trees and the large piece of his ship's hull that had impaled him pinning his body to the ground. A quick test showed that his right arm still worked despite it missing two fingers. His left arm however he could not tell if it was burned out or simply lost in the explosion. He didn't know or care why he was still alive. He only knew that it would last mere moments before it faded.
Just as his vision began to go dark he heard something. His eye shot open again and he saw something odd. A quadruped. It was light gray with hooves and a single horn protruding from its head. How strange, no matter... I guess I could use the company... just wish it was better company...
His eye began to close again as he heard the small beast speak. It was nothing he recognized but it quickly highlighted something that could be extremely important. This being was sentient. Lifting his fractured mechanical hand his power drew the small equine closer until its struggling fearful face was firmly grasped within the metal fingers. It struggled harshly but surely when he was done it would forgive him. It began screeching for what he assumed was help, this made Bjaarn's stomach churn. He hated being cruel but he did not have enough time left in his life to try and explain to the poor beast what he was trying to do nor did he did have enough time to complete this without taking some risks. With all his power he forced his way into the young being's mind. Forcefully expanding his mind and shaping it until he could work with it, he was unsure of what it would do to the poor creature but the stakes were too high. He needed to warn the monarchy. Surely they would never truly find him but with this creature maybe, just MAYBE he could influence this sentient mind to leave something behind that would explain the fate of the 12th Crusade and warn them of the thing that sleeps between the dimensions.
Expanding the creature's mind and filling it with all he could he left only what he was able to. A drive to leave a message in the fabric of space and time for any who would come looking for him or his dead family. He poured in his love for all things, his thirst for knowledge and his keen mind. If the beast survived it would be a whole lot more clever than those around it.
The last of his power flickered and gave out just barely in time. He released the young being's head and it stumbled back, its barely conscious mind appeared understandably fluttered and in shock. It nearly fell over only to be caught by another that looked down at Bjaarn's tattered body and what he assumed was the ruins of his ship.
"....I... I am sorry... so sorry... to you... to my patriarch... to my matriarch..... to my people.. don't wait up for me.... I will... c..come... on... my... own..." His eye closed for the last time as the very last flames of his strength and life snuffed out. His heart stopped beating, even as the implants tried to start it again. Because of the previous injuries his body was already flooded with adrenaline and other such drugs in desperate attempt to keep him alive. However, he was long past the point of medical help and all that he could see now was the light and his daughter's hands reaching out to him with her warm happy smile.
"By the moon!... Starswirl are you ok?...that thing... what is it?" The second Unicorn on the scene looked over the youth that looked to have just been assaulted by the odd now dead creature.
The young Unicorn simply stared. The thing that had grabbed him spoke a language that was clearly alien but he understood it, not just the alien language he understood everything. He looked out at the land and understood why gravity pulled, he understood why the sky was blue, why plants were green, why blood was red. He knew so much. Right away just stopping to think he thought up a method of spellcraft that would triple his output of telekinetic strength. Whatever it did to him he was now a hundred times the pony he once was. He was just 14 years old but he could feel it and gauge all he had seen before, he was easily more powerful than all others he currently knew. But the odd feelings still burned brightly in his mind.
"..y...yeah Im ok...we should bury it... This may not have been a pony.... but it still had a soul. It deserves to be buried." His eyes leveled at his old friend who gave him an odd look.
"You want to bury the monster that just tried to eat your face?....ok Starswirl... you do that... Im going back to the village and telling them what happened... Chances are they will want this buried too just not for the same reason."
Starswirl nodded then sat firmly in the grass on the cool night. Watching his friend leave only one thing was left on his mind. How in Tartarus was he going to leave a message carved into space and time to warn and inform an alien race that may or may not show up within the next fifty million years.