The unicorn had regained her consciousness once more, turning her head, trying to get her bearings on her surroundings. She was moving, her legs trotting below her, though she wasn’t the one controlling herself.
Where am I this time? Why can’t I remember anything?
She struggled to comprehend the world around her. Instead of the machines and metal she had last seen when she had awoken and when she had just started traveling, this time there were plants around her. Bright green grass tickled at her now metallic hooves, trees stood as tall as small buildings, and something she had forgotten all about. The heat of the sun against her coat, warming her.
A world without metal… Why is it all so familiar?
Then images began filling her mind, floating over her eyes like small photographs. A white unicorn, dancing around in a forest, the same unicorn playing with other ponies, the unicorn kneeling before a taller pony with long flowing hair with a golden crown on top.
Princess… Celestia… Is that her name? Do I know her?
More pictures slowly focused in her field of vision, displaying the white unicorn again, seated at a table filled with mechanical parts, inventing all kinds of things.
Is that me? I am the unicorn… Stardust.
She remembered, connecting the pictures at last. Her name was Stardust. She was a unicorn with a white coat. She had maroon eyes, though when she had last seen herself, they shone golden like her mane and tail.
What happened to me…? What is all this on my body? A bigger question took over the rest of her thoughts. Where am I going?
The forest soon opened out into an expansive grassland, looking down upon a small town in the side of a mountain. Stardust had seen this beautiful town before, but that part of her memories were still in fragments. She had been here before, though she couldn’t remember if this was where she lived. Ponies of all kinds moved along cobbled streets just underneath her, going about their daily tasks.
Canterlot. The word appeared in her memory. She had been here before. Lived here before. This was her hometown. Why did I not remember any of this before?
Although recognizing the place, Canterlot wasn’t as Stardust had remembered it. The buildings had changed and there were many things she didn’t understand. Like the shelters above round tables. They looked a little like mushrooms, but with stripes. They seemed weird, but they looked like convenient inventions.
When was the last time I visited this place?
She remembered sitting with the one called Princess Celestia, laughing over things she had long forgotten. She had invented things for the princess once before, always being one for looking ahead, doing what she could to make the world better with her creations of wood and metal. The white… alicorn had been her friend, even though she was royalty. She had just lost her sister, a alicorn of night and shadow. At the moment, Stardust couldn’t recall her name, but she remembered the face of the mare before she was cast to the moon by her unwilling sister.
Princess Celestia was never the same after that, but Stardust remembered trying to help. Trying to console the princess. She had done her best to stay by the princess’ side, to remind her the joy of life.
But then what? What happened after that?
Stardust tried to remember how or why she had awoken inside the metal prison, far from this place, but unfortunately, that part of her mind remained blank. No pictures floated before her eyes. There was nothing to explain how she had arrived there.
Without warning, Stardust felt her mouth open, before the same robotic voice sounded again. “You will not hide it from me, Lotus. I will find it, and I will return it, regardless of who stands in my way.”
What? Find it? Find what? And I don’t want to do it! I want to return home, to be with my family, my friends!
Her body paid no attention to her will, moving off on its own, down the grassy hill before unfolding the wings she never had, flapping them to gain altitude. Soon, Stardust found herself in the air, flying beside the clouds she had once dreamed of touching. She willed a hoof over to one, but before she could feel its texture, something in her new body yanked the hoof back in place, putting it back in front of her eyes, facing forward.
What have I become? Stardust thought as her body carried on, set on fulfilling its duty no matter the cost.
“I am Duality,” the voice said again. “And I will be your reckoning.”
The smoke in Princess Celestia’s inner sanctum began to clear, finally showing the new and gleaming Warframe inside the pod. It was all white with the exception of gold parts lining the arms, chest, and especially the head; there was a round circular shape on the face, almost like the shape of a void key.
“Woooooah!” Pinkie gasped, popping out above the pod, looking down at the Warframe from above. “What is it?”
“Looks a little like Mr. Loregiver’s Warframe,” Fluttershy speculated from the suit’s arms and legs. “Or maybe Twilight’s.”
“It will take a while to run tests to determine just what you brought back,” Celestia reported. “But whatever it is, you’ve done well.”
“So we can’t use it immediately?” Rainbow complained. “Then what are we going to do against the Stalker until it’s ready? We don’t have any other Warframes now. This is it!”
“We’ll have to make do, Rainbow,” Rarity said as she stepped over to closely inspect the new Frame. “Maybe if we could somehow imbue our magic into our suits?”
“They’re already magical,” Mag said calmly. “Magic plus magic is still magic.”
“What I meant was our friendship magic, Mag,” Rarity explained further. “Perhaps your Warframes can gain our ears and tails like we normally have when we play our music.”
“I’m not sure if that is possible, but why don’t you try it? The next time you play some music.”
“Sorry to intrude,” Fluttershy said from her spot. “But what do we do n-now? Is the Stalker still coming after us?”
“I’ll try to work on this as fast as I can,” Princess Celestia reassured, rubbing her head against Fluttershy. “I’ll call Loregiver, Twilight and Eclair over to help me out. With them, maybe I can get this done a lot faster.” She placed the Lotus mask back on her head to contact the three ponies.
Fluttershy, Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie gathered near the pod, still looking at the new Warframe inside.
“So, are we heading back home, or what?” Rainbow asked the others.
“I guess so…” Rarity replied, though she didn’t want to think about what the Stalker might do now. “But he’ll be coming after us again. Sooner or later.”
“Cheer up, guys!” Pinkie leapt up and pulled them closer to herself, a wide grin on her face. “We’ll beat that baddy soon! We just need to wait a little longer! So who’s up for a paaaaaaarty?”
“Well, whatever happens now, I agree with Rarity. We should head back. We still have things to do.”
“L-Like homework?” Fluttershy formed a small smile.
“That’s one thing,” Rainbow agreed, but pressed a hand to her face and groaned. “Oh, why did they have to give so much work when we’re fighting a crazy killer?”
Just then, there was a sound of something beeping, though it progressively got louder as they looked for the source.
“What’s that?” Pinkie Pie hopped over to the princess’ console. There was a red light blinking rapidly; it was the source of the sound. “Is there going to be a party? Did you finish checking the Warframe? Are we being attacked? I hope we’re not!”
“Something’s close by,” Princess Celestia said with a more serious voice. “Something unfriendly.”
Just then, there was a thud against the wall, just to the left of the entrance. It didn’t seem to be coming from the entrance itself, but from outside the walls.
“That can’t be right…” Celestia muttered and got back to her console, looking at the different camera screens. “This place is deep underground. The only way there can be something beyond the walls…”
The four girls quickly put their helmets back on before pulling out their respective weapons. Fluttershy shook in her boots, but Trinity took over and got her pilot ready.
“You must protect the pod,” Celestia spoke to them; the alicorn was now standing by the Warframe pod. “I believe this one is meant for Loregiver, but you have to keep it safe until he gets here. They’re already on their way.”
“Roger, roger, princess!” Pinkie wore a serious expression and saluted before cloning herself four times, each one pointing their boar shotgun towards the source of the sound.
None of them had prepared for the explosion that followed, along with the mixture of the underground air with that of the one above, creating a small vacuum within the inner sanctum’s walls. One of Pinkie’s clones had disappeared when a piece of a large grey metal pipe barreled into her, spinning into the wall on the other side. Mag had protected the group before anyone else could get hurt, bringing up a magnetic barrier around them, repelling the rest of the metallic debris.
The girls found the air suddenly unbreathable, but the Tenno immediately formed masks around their exposed mouths, giving them a quick supply of oxygen.
“Thanks, Trinity,” Fluttershy breathed and tried to steady her heartbeat. “What happened?”
Her Tenno partner raised one of her hands and pointed to the wall’s new hole. “I believe we’re about to find out.”
A white female alicorn with golden hair hovered through the hole, slowly descending until her white and golden hooves touched the blue floor below her. Most of her body was mechanical, except for most of her head and a little portion of her body.
The girls prepared themselves for imminent battle, but Princess Celestia stopped to look at the pony, pausing with her mouth semi-opened. “S-Stardust?”
The cyborg pony looked at her with her golden glowing eyes and uttered, “I am Duality, and I will be your reckoning.”
“Stardust?” the princess stepped closer, partially raising a hoof out to the pony. “Is that really you? What has happened to you?”
“Stardust?” Pinkie raised an eyebrow inside her helmet. “Ooh, ooh! Is she that pony that went with you to the Void all those years ago?”
“Yes,” she nodded her confirmation. “Stardust, do you remember me? It’s me. Princess Celestia.”
The mechanical alicorn remained silent and opened her wings, spanning them up into the air. Little bulbs on the joints popped open, revealing a small barrel on each, like one on a gun.
“Get down!” Mirage yelled and moved all her clones to push her friends down before the lasers fired, scorching new marks on the wall.
“The pod,” Duality said in a single tone. “Return it to me and you will be spared.”
“Stardust!” Celestia yelled at her old friend. “This isn’t you!”
“There is no Stardust,” the pony replied flatly as she readied her wing lasers again. “There is only Duality.”
She fired again, but Princess Celestia projected a magical barrier with her horn, keeping the weapons at bay. “Girls! You… must stop her! She cannot get the pod!”
“Come on! We’ve gotta help!” Rainbow was the first into action, boosting straight for Duality, barreling into the metallic alicorn shoulder first.
Duality didn’t seem to register the hit at all, continuing to break the princess’ magical barrier. Rainbow grunted and whipped out her akstilletos. Without warning, vents opened on the side of the cyborg pony’s wings, releasing a cloud of freezing air. Rainbow Dash felt the cold seep into her suit, affecting even her own body.
“C-Cold…” she said through chattering teeth. “I-I’m f-freez-zing…”
“This cold is affecting the suit,” Zephyr said in her head. “It’s slowing us down.”
She tried to get away, but it was as though she had tied rocks to her legs. The athlete ran back like she was in slow-motion, trying to get herself as far away from the cold as she could. The two girls with ranged weapons joined in, shooting at Duality from afar. The mechanical pony finally dropped her lasers and turned to the girls.
“You stand in my way. You must be destroyed.”
Stardust could see and feel her body dash at the three Warframes before her head bent back to pull a sword from her back. It was white and gold, and it had a curved guard over the handle which she held in her mouth. The blade itself looked incredibly sharp, like it could cut a train in half.
No! I don’t want to fight! Princess Celestia! Please, help!
She tried to fight against her own limbs, trying to stop herself before she could swing the sharpened blade. She willed at her body with all her strength, but she still couldn’t stop the sword from connecting with the red Warframe’s thin staff, pushing against it, trying to break through.
“You will not stop me,” her robotic voice said, even through her clenched teeth, emerging from a voice box near her remodeled jaw.
“Please…” the Warframe said as she held the staff up. “D-Don’t do this… We’re your friends.”
My friends… I don’t want this! Save me… Please.
She felt something in her body shift again. It was the vents at her sides, the ones that released the cold air.
Move! Don’t stand there!
The Warframes couldn’t hear her voice as the air was released, instantly affecting the red Warframe before her. Stardust’s head pushed forward, breaking through the pink haired Warframe’s defense, knocking her down.
“Eep!” she squealed and brought her arms up to protect her head.
Duality was unyielding, bringing her dakra prime up for the final strike. “You stood in my way and must be destroyed.”
More bullets pelted at her from the side. Stardust could feel the pain, but Duality didn’t seem to bother. Her head was slightly turned, catching a glimpse of the other Warframes, shooting their projectiles at her. Duality shook her body, releasing small drone like machines, hovering around her and producing a blue energy shield, surrounding her body. Stardust’s head was turned back to the downed Warframe, who was still trying to flee, but slowly because of the cold aura.
Run, Warframe! Get away!
“Fluttershy!” one of the other Warframes yelled, but couldn’t stop Duality’s dakra prime from falling down to her, ready to end the ones that stood in her way.
Just then, something else came into view. Another sword, one of black and white with indents along the blade, thrusting its way towards her, stopping just between the Warframe called Fluttershy and Duality’s sword. Stardust wanted to close her eyes as sparks flew from the connection of the two blades, but she had no control over them at the moment. Another Warframe stood beside her, holding the new sword with both hands, trying its best to keep it away from the downed Tenno.
“Get back!” the male Warframe ordered, only releasing his block after the red one got out of Duality’s range.
He quickly raised his sleek sword, creating a blinding flash of light in Stardust’s face. The white pony wanted to shut her eyes, but Duality didn’t seem to be affected by it, keeping her robotic eyes wide open. Stardust felt as if her eyes were going to burn up, but eventually, it passed, her vision finally returning. The Warframes were all on the other side of the room, next to Princess Celestia and…
“The pod,” Duality noticed it and its inhabitant inside. “Return it to me at once.”
“No chance.” Then the grey Warframe, the one with the sword, folded out, releasing a strange peach coloured creature wearing black boots and a shirt, and grey pants, who quickly jumped into the pod as the white-golden Warframe inside opened and closed around him.
“No!” Duality screeched and flew straight at them, her deadly sword at the ready.
Loregiver had never felt such power, even when he had first achieved Maximum Drift with Excalibur; his Tenno partner wasn’t even part of this suit yet.
Initializing…
Loregiver steadied his breathing and concentrated, keeping his eyes on the advancing enemy. His partner stood next to him, controlling the whole suit, his skana raised. The Eclipse guard reached an armored hand behind and felt the edge of his new blade, resting against his back.
Just like my old suit. Perfect.
This new suit didn’t seem to have a Tenno inside, but that was good. Loregiver wasn’t going to have any worries of tossing away a functional Tenno.
Ready, his system said as his HUD and shields activated.
Loregiver immediately dashed out of the pod, creating a small shockwave around him as he reached back to draw his new sword. It looked and felt roughly the same, though it had a golden handle and the blade had more indents in it.
The agent quickly swung his blade forward, catching the pony’s, locking it in place.
“How dare you use the Warframe,” she said in her almost monotonous voice. “This belongs to the Void and it shall return to the Void.”
“Not yet,” Loregiver replied. “We still need it to do one thing.”
Both participants fell to the ground and immediately kicked away from each other, ending up on opposite sides of the room. Duality quickly jetted forward again, activating both her mechanized wing lasers. She fired, but Loregiver was faster, disappearing from his spot in a blink, reappearing behind her, continuing to slide forward, stopping only when his foot hit a step.
One of the mechanical pony’s wings sparked for a second before falling to the ground.
“What have you done,” she said and turned around, flipping the long sword in her mouth. “You will be punished. I will be your reckoning.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
the next few minutes consisted of Loregiver and Duality trying to get the upperhand on each other, slashing and stabbing away, looking for a hole to break the other’s form. Both were equally skilled, not giving the other the space to strike at their bodies. Then Duality miscalculated, stabbing forward into thin air. Loregiver swung himself around and punched up with a fist, catching the pony right under the cheek, sending her flipping once in the air before falling back in a heap. He landed beside her and pointed his blade down at her head.
“Good job, partner,” Excalibur cheered from the corner, still holding the skana just in case.
“Yeah, you rock, Mr. Loregiver!” Pinkie shouted as loud as she could.
Duality stood up again, rubbing at her muzzle with a hoof, blinking a few times. Loregiver readied his sword again, but then the pony did something that surprised him.
She waved both hooves in front of her. “Stop! Wait! I’m not Duality!” Her voice had lost its robotic tinge and sounded almost normal.
Princess Celestia was the first to realize what had happened. “Stardust? Is that you?”
The mechanical pony looked up at the sun princess and nodded hopefully. “Princess, it’s me. Please… You’ve got to kill me. Duality, she’ll return. I don’t have full control…”
“What?” Celestia leapt back on her hind legs. “I can’t do that, Stardust. I thought I’d lost you once. I can’t.”
“You must, princess,” the pony beckoned, one eye twitching as she fought to maintain control over herself. “I cannot hold Duality back forever…”
Loregiver looked to the princess for guidance, but she simply shook her head and looked away, holding back tears. “Princess. What do you wish of me?”
“Please. Don’t kill her…” was all Celestia managed. “Don’t…”
Loregiver turned back to the conflicted pony and lowered his blade. His princess’ orders were final. Stardust shed a single tear from her mechanical eyes and quickly fled back out the hole she had come from.
The girls noticed the room had returned to total silence. No one made a sound, not even Loregiver, who sheathed his blade and looked to the princess.
Princess Celestia tossed her Lotus mask off her face and collapsed into a heap, burying her head in her front hooves. “I… I’m so sorry, Stardust...”