Echoes of the Ancient

by Wandering Axioms


Act 1.3

1.3

They’re looking for a leader, and I haven’t the faintest idea on what a leader is supposed to be like...

To sum it up in as simple a way as possible, Aiden couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He and several other members of the Network here at the mess hall of Fort Keystone gazed in horror at the television. Images of violence and towns burning flashed across the screen. At the bottom, the headlines read: “VIOLENCE IN AMERICAN COUNTRYSIDE: Mutants known as the “Ashen” break out of Exclusion Zone; large horde headed towards East coast.”

If the government was at all trying to censor the violence, then they were doing a terrible job. Already, they’ve seen Ashen chasing men, women, and children through streets littered with abandoned cars. He saw a woman carrying an infant get her leg cleaved off by an Ashen bear. Apparently, it wasn’t just humans that succumbed to the Ashen Storm. Any living thing, be it a bird, a bear, a dog, that breathes in the toxic dust from the clouds that followed the horde, ended up joining the horde.

One of the absolute, most disgusting things he had seen already, was the news reporters retreating to the safety of their helicopter, and ignoring the cries of the uninfected as they were surrounded and torn to shreds by the Ashen.

The American military was already in retreat, simply because the Ashen’s numbers kept rising. President Albert Ryan had declared martial law, and he surprisingly decided to stay in Washington as the Ashen approach...not bad for a politician.

Suddenly, the fort’s loudspeakers blared the voice of none other than Major Ron Norris, a former military officer and the fort’s administrator. “Listen up, Assets!” He shouted. “As most of you’ve probably heard by now, that swarm of monsters, the Ashen, are making their way to Washington. While some of you may have owed your loyalty to the American government or the military in the past, remember this; today, we owe our loyalty to the people of all nations! Those monsters will not stop with the destruction of this country; no, they will move from one continent to the next, killing and spreading their filth to every living thing they see!”

The Major continued with his motivational speech, which was occasionally interrupted by cheers from the men and women of the fort. Aiden pulled out the dog tag that James had given him. His words from the day before yesterday came back to him. “Aiden, it was no accident that you were found by your stepfather. This may be my last adventure, but your journey is just beginning...

The next twenty minutes at the fort were met with intense preparation. Firearms were loaded, bayonets were sharpened. The next thing Aiden knew, he was seated on a VTOL, with the rest of his team: Viper Team, along with two other Network squads; Kodiak and Falcon, making up a full platoon, led by a Lieutenant Devon Reeves.

Lieutenant Reeves then proceeded to explain the details of the operation. “Our primary objective when we land is to rendezvous with any Network Assets that survived the initial onslaught. Most of them are still holding out at the main building near the L’Enfant Plaza. Remember: gas masks on at all times! If you breath in that ash shit, then you become one of them! We’re being dropped off at the Southwest Waterfront along with 3rd and 4th platoons. Our rallying point is the Jefferson Memorial after the completion of the objective, where we’ll receive further orders.”

We’re now preparing for liftoff,” the pilot said over the radio. “ETA to Washington is approximately forty minutes...

---

Aiden felt something gently push against his chest. As he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Lyra trying to wake him up; a look of concern was on her face. She smiled when his eyes were fully open. He immediately sat up and stretched his limbs as far as they could go. Sleeping in an actual bed for the first time in a few days was certainly refreshing for him, but he wished he could have a change into something more comfortable than his body armor. He fumbled around for his helmet which must’ve fallen off while sleeping; while doing this, he noticed that Lyra still had a worried look on her face.

“Is something the matter, Lyra?” Aiden asked as he found his headgear.

Lyra traced a hoof along the covers of the bed. “Um...you were talking in your sleep...”

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” He asked the mint colored filly. “I’m sorry if I did...”

“N-no, you didn’t wake me up, it just worried me...you sounded like you were scared, so I, um, decided to wake you up if you were having a bad dream...”

Aiden felt himself tense up as he remembered the dream. Had he really just relived a memory in his sleep? One that was almost five years old at that, back when he first joined the Network and met his teammates. Back when the Ashen horde marched on Washington. The unforgettable details of how the Ashen killed sent a chill down his spine. “Yeah...it was more like an all out nightmare...”

Lyra could clearly detect the sadness in his voice. “Oh...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy.”

Aiden chuckled to himself. “Don’t worry about it,” he said as he waved a gloved hand. “So, what’s on our agenda for today?” He asked trying desperately to change the subject.

Lyra placed a hoof to her chin and thought. “Do you wanna know who I think brought you here?” She asked with that innocent smile that always made Aiden’s heart glow. Aiden looked on anxiously, waiting for an answer. “She’s the most powerful pony in all of Equestria, one of the last remaining alicorns, and the mare who brings us both night and day! None other than Princess Celestia herself!”

“So I guess we’re going to go to this...Canterlot was the name, right?”

Lyra nodded. “We can take the Ponyville train station there! But, I don’t have any money for tickets...” She hung her head.

Aiden smiled. “Insufficient funds never stopped me, my little filly friend!”

“You mean we’re going to...stow away?” Aiden nodded. “But, what if we get caught?”

Aiden waved a hand. “Hey, I snuck through this whole town without being noticed once, I think I can sneak the both of us on a train.”

“I should probably go see my parents, after all.” She laughed nervously while she jumped off of the bed. “I guess they should be pretty steamed at me right about now...”

Praline and Chikki were still sleeping soundly in their bed as Aiden and Lyra made their way down the stairs and back into the kitchen section of the store. “How do you feel on skipping breakfast?” Aiden asked Lyra. Although he could guess the answer when the unicorn’s belly started to gurgle quietly. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’...” He laughed softly.

“You mean you aren’t hungry?” Lyra asked her human companion. “We haven't eaten since last night...”

Aiden shrugged. “I’m sorta used to going a while without food, especially whenever while I was out on a mission.” He looked around at the various cabinets in the kitchen. Rooting through them, he found many baking utensils and ingredients, but no actual food. In the fridge, there were still plenty of fruits and drinks. He plucked out a few bright red apples for the road.

“Will this do?” He asked as he handed an apple to her. She took hold of it with her magic and bit a large chunk out of the red orb. A smile quickly creased along her face and she nodded. “You know,” Lyra said while still chewing. She continued after she swallowed. “Maybe you should eat something; remember last night that stomach of yours almost gave you away.”

Aiden obliged, taking one of his own apples and biting a large chunk of it. “Just to be safe?” He asked Lyra, his tastebuds savoring the flavor.

Lyra smiled and nodded. “Just to be safe...”

---

What Aiden couldn’t understand was how quickly the next few minutes had passed. One minute, he and the rest of his platoon were in their VTOL flying over a battle scarred Washington, ready to land at the Southwest Waterfront with two other platoons. There was a loud screeching noise the next moment, and the VTOL simply came apart in mid flight. He had to be thankful that they were flying over the Tidal Basin at that moment, or he’d probably be dead right now. The next minute, he and the survivors of his platoon were swimming all the way to the shore, while the VTOLs carrying the other two platoons had landed on the waterfront.

Now here he sat on the floor of a boating shop, leaning against a checkout counter, his teammate David Bern trying to get his attention. “Aiden!” David yelled. “Aiden Marsh, are you still with us!?”

Aiden’s memory was quite fuzzy on what had just happened. He groaned as he carefully picked himself up. “What happened? How did I get here?”

“You nearly drowned,” Alex who was toying with his SMG said. “That’s what happened.” Leon and Emily were standing guard by the store’s front door, gazing out the shattered windows.

“Bastards!” Leon shouted, shaking his fist at whatever was outside. “I can’t believe they’d leave us like that!”

Aiden turned to Logan who was casually loading ammo into his assault rifle. “What’s the problem?”

“The rest of the platoon moved on without us,” Logan said as he inserted the magazine. “But I don’t really blame them, the Ashen almost had them surrounded, and we’re relatively safe in here.” He chambered the first round.

Aiden heard what sounded like a fighter jet fly overhead. “Is there any safe way we can get to L’Enfant Plaza?”

“The D.C. Metro tunnels might be a good bet,” Alex suggested. “The trains won’t be running for obvious reasons, so we’ll have to go through them on foot.”

“How can you know that they’ll be safe?” Mary asked as she stepped up to the door.

“I don’t,” Alex replied. “But it’s better than walking around in the open just waiting for those monsters to slaughter you.”

“It seems like it’s the only option we’ve got,” Aiden said as David handed him an assault rifle he’d picked off a fallen member from their platoon. “What’s the closest Metro station from here?” He asked Logan.

“Waterfront Metro,” Logan answered. “Just Northeast of here on Main Street Southwest. We can get there by following 6th Street.”

“Alright, then that’s where we’re headed.” The wooden door of the exit stood before him and his team. “Is everyone ready?” He asked looking over to his left and right, receiving nods from all six of them. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Okay, everyone just remain calm; don’t go guns blazing, that’ll just attract more Ashen.” He gulped. After a brief moment of almost palpable hesitation, he placed his hand on the doorknob, turned it, and opened.

---

Aiden awoke with a gasp. He was on the verge of panicking before he realized that it was just a dream...or rather a memory. He sighed with relief when he noticed that Lyra was asleep on his lap. He looked around trying to take in his surroundings. The wood floor occasionally rumbled, and there were storage crates all around. A single lamp dangling from the ceiling, aside from a small circular window, was the only source of light in this room.

Yes, I remember now...” He thought to himself. “We stowed away in storage on the train to Canterlot...but how long was I asleep?” He felt incredibly stiff all over, and he would’ve stood up to stretch, but he couldn’t bring himself to disturb the green ball of fluff curled up in his lap.

Speaking of which, Lyra herself had just begun to stir. “Sleep well?” Aiden asked the filly. Her golden eyes showed a tired sort of happiness at first, but when she got a full look at his face, terror seemed to fill them. Aiden was confused. “Is something wrong, Lyra?”

“I-I should be asking you!” She exclaimed as she pointed a hoof to his face. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost or something!”

“It’s...nothing,” Aiden said calmly. “Just another bad dream...”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Lyra asked sitting up.

Aiden offered a reassuring smile. “Positive.”

The unicorn sighed and curled back up into a comfortable position. “I think we should be in Canterlot soon...” she said as her eyes struggled to stay open. Her steady breathing that followed told Aiden that she was asleep again. Aiden gazed out the circular window to his left. The sun was at its peak in the sky, so it was around noon. A few gathering black clouds in the distance told him that a storm would follow.

But his thoughts were on his dream. He’d heard of “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,” and had even met a few Network Assets whom had developed it, but they were all in their fifties, or early forties at the youngest. Perhaps he was an exception? Maybe because he joined at such an early age, he developed it earlier? Or maybe his sudden appearance in this “Equestria” helped something in his mind finally snap. Of all the strange things he’d seen in his almost twenty years, this place beat the living tar out of everything else, from the Ashen to the Reborn Incident.

Whatever it was that was causing him to relive these events, he was hopeful that Princess Celestia could explain.