"Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result." - Tien T'ai
Warmth. The comfortable kind. That is what the Excalibur felt as he started to regain consciousness. Strange. He can't remember if he ever felt warmth like this. His ship was cool and quiet, besides the A.I. of the ship routinely chiming in with a comment. The places he was often sent to fight in were freezing cold, moist and dark, humid, or in a controlled environment. Once he regained his sight, he was met with the sight of vibrant green grass, and felt that he was lying face down in it. His hearing slowly came back to him, allowing him to hear the gentle breeze that was making said grass sway and rustle in a mesmerizing dance.
The Excalibur stood, slowly, as his HUD came online last. The only difference was that his Mini-map showed blank, meaning the area was unknown completely, uncharted. His shields took the whole of the blast, his status bar showing his bodily fortitude being at 100%, and his shields fully recharged. But even so, he felt something was missing...
He found what when he looked at the grass ahead of where he was lying. His sword, his Skana, lying in the grass, awaiting its master to reclaim it. And that is exactly what Excalibur did, leaning down and picking up the blade and examining it for damage. As he did, he mentally cursed himself for what happened. He should've deflected the bullets, but his own instincts took over years of training in a moment of worry, and so here he was.
Oh well. Deciding that it's no use pondering over it, Excalibur placed the blade upon his back, and scanned his surroundings. There was a forest to his right, dense, thick. It reminded him of Earth, but without the ruins dotting the landscape. Following the treeline, he noted what seemed to be a village in the far distance.
Lotus may not be here to guide him, but that in no way would ever make him or any other Tenno Warrior like him helpless. He held out his left hand, and opened his mission log, which appeared on a screen projected from a small holopad embedded in the suits hand, 20 inches long and 10 inches in height. Unlike most Tenno, who often wiped their mission logs, Excalibur kept every last one. He studied them often, learning and referencing enemy troop movements and formations, reaction times, and how the other Tenno handled these situations.
The last mission he recorded, ended with his meeting with Stalker. Excalibur listed the mission as officially finished. As for the result....He named it a Victory. Even if they didn't get the device, neither did the Grineer. Win and loss, but the majority, a win. He switched out of the log, and created a new one. He titled it "Lost," since that is what he was right now, lost. He then typed for his first objective, "Learn Whereabouts." The second was "Find a way back." He then closed the menu all together by closing his hand, and then looking towards the signs of civilization in the distance, and started to stretch and limber up. It was his best chance, but off the mission log, he set his own goals. Try to find signs of life, and if found, discern if friendly and intelligent enough to speak with, somehow, and if so, try to establish a relationship with them, and see if they can help him get back to the other Tenno.
After he finished stretching, he stood and used his HUD to take stock of his weapons. Seventy-one arrows, Two-hundred and Twenty Kunai, and his Skana. The modifications he made to the weapons were stable. All Warframe functions nominal. He leaned down into an Old-Worlds sprinter's position, and counted down in his head. One....Two....Three! With a burst of muscles, agility, and speed, Excalibur took off across the plains, his feet barely making any noise as he ran full sprint towards whatever lied ahead. He was a Tenno, and he would overcome this challenge, just like any other.
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More than ten Tenno ships were docked in the clearing surrounding the Grineer base, the Tenno who operate each ship had formed a perimeter, while a Volt and a few other tech-savvy Tenno shifted through the remains of the Orokin device, trying to discern its use while Lotus searched Old War files about it, to no avail so far. The Mag sat on the rafters she held earlier that night, joining the perimeter with the other Tenno after being extensively interviewed about what happened. The rest of the Tenno spread across the stars were either busy keeping the Grineer looking for them, or searching for Stalker.
One Tenno, sat on an overlook, holding a metal shafted arrow, with a tip stained with Grineer blood, and blue wings at the base of the shaft. This Tenno was operating a Zephyr, one of the Tenno best used fighting from above. Plenty could keep up with her, but unlike the others, she missed the missing Excalibur more than most. He was a good friend, and while he could not speak, his actions always spoke louder than any words ever could. Most of the Tenno agreed, he was one of the more balanced fighters, not the best but still way above average than most at everything.
'Damn you, Excalibur. We've lost enough of our Brothers and Sisters in arms. Why'd you have to be a jackass and vanish without a trace?' Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of gunfire down below. 'Grineer...Wherever you are, Excalibur, and if you're still alive, get your ass back soon. We can all raid a base as one as a welcome home present.' With that, she set the arrow down, and leaped off, grabbing her weapons and charging into the fray.
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Twilight Sparkle was re-shelving books in her Crystal castle's library in Ponyville when her assistant, Spike, dropped the pile of books he was carrying just in time to belch loudly, then snatch the scroll that appeared in the conflagration of dragon fire. One look at the seal, and he held it out for Twilight. "It's from Princess Celestia."
Twilight sighed and set the last book in its place, before sliding down the ladder, and ruffling her wings and she spun, and took the scroll from Spike. "Thank you, Spike." She unrolled the scroll, and frowned as she read. The writing was hasty, ran a little. The letter was obviously rushed. She shook her head and truly began to read.
Dearest Twilight,
I hope you are settling well with your new duties as the Princess of Friendship, but this is of the utmost importance. Just a few minutes ago, a portal was opened on the outskirts of the Everfree forest. Now, we can only assume this, because we did not FEEL the magic. Luna, however, felt a new mind enter the land of dreams. She received a headache not a few moments later. She attempted to contact the being via their dreams, but Luna could get nowhere close to their mind, but from what she tells me, the being is definitely not of Equis. We have no other information, but this does not matter. Retrieve your friends, and ready the Elements. I have sent a letter to your Brother. He is on his way with an Elite Guard from the Crystal Empire, and will be there within a few hours. Wait for him at the train station with your friends, and locate whatever this being is. Hurry!
~Princess Celestia
Twilight had to read the letter twice before she threw it to the side, and heading for the door. "Spike! We need to get the girls! NOW!" The dragon sighed as he left the books on the floor, and followed after the mare. Before he left, he was sure to turn of the lights, and lock the door.
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Excalibur had reached the village in minutes, and was amazed. Life! And not just any life, but PEACEFUL life! He watched these strange creatures work their stalls, selling goods at the market, some flying and others even using some form of power to float things around them! He checked more than once to make sure his Warframe's mission camera was on and recording this. A sole, large tree-like crystal structure in the middle of the town had drawn his attention. It stuck him as strange at first, until he found out what it really was. It was a castle, carved into the tree! The sheer sight of it made him extremely curious, as well as the sight of the castle built into the top of it. From what he knew, castle's were strongholds. Strongholds meant information.
He watched with glee as his mission updated on his HUD. "Access castle." The nav marker tagged the front door. Excalibur nodded to himself, and used the shadows of the mid day sun to make it behind a nearby bush. Making sure the coast was clear, he snuck up to the front door and tried to open it. Locked. He mentally cursed, and made his way around back. No back door. He pounded the ground lightly, then looked up. It was a long climb, but the Tenno were no strangers to such impossible seeming tasks.
Excalbur made sure the coast was clear first, then stepped from the shadows for a moment, then ran up the tree. Before he lost traction and speed, he started to push himself up the castle with steady, powerful steps against the crystal trunk. He kept this up at a steady pace, until he reached a window, pulling it open before climbing in.
Excalibur mentally whistled at the sheer beauty of the inside, shutting the window almost all the way, giving himself a route of escape, before silently moving down the hall at a brisk pace. he found a large room with what he assumed to be a de-activated holo-table, though he could find no way to activate it. Continuing on he discovered a throne room, with six large thrones with symbols on them, and a smaller throne next to one of the thrones. The Excalibur was in awe, and numbly made sure his recorder was STILL going. It was built to last for sure.
Tearing himself away from the throne room, he continued to investigate the surprisingly empty castle, up until he found a large and expansive library....That was in disarray. The scribes must have left in a rush, perhaps. He scanned the room, and found candles all over. Taking two kunai, and striking them against one another carefully, he managed to light each one in sequence. Excalibur nodded and turned off his flashlight, and looked at the mess of books on the floor. The way he figured, it would help his situation, if he helped these scribes with their organizing. A welcome surprise no doubt.
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Twilight had gathered the girls, met with her brother, and was leading them back to the castle with the four Elite Guard crystal ponies in tow. Spike however, stopped the group at the door. "Hold on a sec, Twi." He said, pointing to one of the windows of the castle. "We didn't light any candles before we left..."
Twilight blinked, then sighed. "You probably thought we didn't and did, Spike. Come on, open the door. I need the Tome of Offensive Spellwork by Starswirl." Spike shook his head and unlocked the door, opening it and walking inside, leading the group up towards the library. He noted, with a furrowed brow, that the door looked like it had been scrubbed clean of dust just seconds ago. He shrugged it off, and opened the door, only to gawk in shock. Twilight came in and gawked with him. The floors had been scrubbed at least twice. All the books, and shelves, had been organized perfectly and dusted. The candles were replaced with new ones, and had only been burning for at least ten minutes. They snapped out of it when Fluttershy's arms pointed past them, and she shakily said Twilight's name.
Spike and Twilight looked at where she was pointing, and suddenly figured out why she was suddenly so scared. Sitting there, on a pillow, with several books open in front of it. A being that screamed danger, from the devices on its hips, the bow on its back, and the handle coming over its shoulder. That wasn't the scariest part, and neither was it's armor. It was the helmet, or, it's face. The thing looked up from the books in front of it, and tilted it's head at her. Shining stepped in front of her, blocking her view and readying his shield. "IN THE NAME OF THE PRINCESSES, YOU ARE HEREBY UNDER ARREST!" Oh boy....
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"IN THE NAME OF THE PRINCESSES, YOU ARE HEREBY UNDER ARREST!" Excalibur deadpanned in his mind. Arrest? What did he do wrong!? He watched as the purple creature forced the purple and green scaled creature behind her, while her and her friends hung back near the door, and the obvious guards took the front. Excalibur scanned them warily, not one to misjudge his opponents. Two with horns, one with wings, two with neither. The first horned one, who spoke, wore a regal looking golden armor with purple highlights and a tower shield, and a hammer. Defense with a slight of offense. The second horned one had a long sword, but his posture suggested tricks up his sleeve. The winged one was female, and she had a crossbow. Interesting. The next, normal one was female as well, wielding two deadly axes. The last was male, and wielded a spear. Each was....Well, looked, like crystal beings, except for the first, as did their armor.
Excalibur slowly stood. "DON'T MOVE, DAMN YOU! SIT BACK DOWN!" Excalibur was having none of that. Especially with what the Grineer pulled with all his brothers and sisters. He stood, and glared at them from his minds eye. Rarity, in the back, couldn't help but shiver. She could feel something was about to happen, and it might not be good.
Excalibur gave them one last chance. He raised his hands and did the motions for them to calm down. Fluttershy noticed this, and silently wondered why it did that. Twilight noticed this as well, same as Spike, who poked out from behind her, only to get pushed outside and the door slammed in his face, but Shining and The other guards didn't bother to notice. They spread out, the unicorn and female earth pony guards to Shining's left, and the others to his right. Twilight nodded to the girls, their bodies starting to become coated in light. Excalibur looked at the guards, their stances....
And the only thing he could think of is how there were oh so how many openings they left. And how it looks like he was going to need to exploit them. He readied himself now, standing straight, fists aimed at each other in front of his pelvis, before he moved into a relaxed stance, turning his body slowly, so his chest is angled to the guard to their far left-his far right. He then brought his left arm up and held it straight, palm shooting upwards in an open hand. His right arm is cocked in a relaxed punching position.
The guards tensed at his stance. It was a silent tension, each waiting for the other to make a first move. The tension ended when the Male Earthern guard struck out with his spear, intending to use his range as his advantage. Excalibur showed him it was also a weakness. Excalibur's torso spun in an instant, seeing the spear move out of the corner of his vision, his right arm shooting out, and latching onto the spear, just below the head, and used the momentum, turning his legs only a bit, and his torso to the left, he pulled the spear towards him, and the guard with it. Before the other guards could react properly, Excalibur turned his left arm so the palm was aimed at the guards neck, before striking out as soon as he was in reach.
The process took mere seconds. The result, was the guard holding his throat, gasping for air, and Excalibur had acquired the spear, Excalibur spun, striking out with the pole of the spear while crouching, tripping the female Earthern guard, who charged with a roar at seeing her comrade defeated easily. Excalibur didn't make sure she stayed down, instead hopping back upon hearing a twang, just in time to move out of the way of the crossbow bolt, which was now embedded in the hard ground. The Pegasus guard who shot it was airborne, and reloading. Excalibur would get her down later. For now, he was fighting off six translucent long swords, and a real one from the unicorn, using the spear to swiftly block each one of them, to the guardsman's dismay. That ended when Shining charged forward and bashed at Excalibur with his shield.
Excalibur expected this, and jumped just before the blow hit, planting his feet at the intended point of impact, then pushing off, landing by hanging high up on one of the book cases, using them as a ledge. Perfect for him. He leaped from it, flying closer to the ceiling to the Pegasus, who aimed to shoot him while he was airborne. The bolt fired, and Excalibur just managed to piss them off more when he deflected it with the spearhead. With a few swift motions, the flying guards-woman could only blink: The blunt end of the spear had been suddenly aimed, and launched at her. It impacted with her face with a loud thwack!, followed swiftly by a crack and a spurt of blood as it rebounded off her face. Her nose had been broken, and she was sent out of the air and to the ground. Excalibur grabbed the rebounding spear, and threw it back at the ground now, before following it. The spear and woman impacted into the ground at the same time-far from each other.
Excalibur had actually landed on the back of the female Earthern guard, as she was getting back to her feet, and planting her into the ground, more than likely cracking her back, but not in a lethal manner, before picking up her axes, and hopping back. Shining and the remaining guard stared in shock. In less than half a minute, this one, strange being, had out classed, out skilled, and knocked out, three highly trained, Elite Crystal guards-ponies. The girls were in shock as well. They had all finished changing to their Harmony Forms. With a stern nod from Twilight, they were surrounded by the familiar magic, and got ready for an attack.
Excalibur watched as they floated upwards, before turning his attention back to the two unicorns, blocking sword after sword, and dodging multiple shield strikes. They glowed a different color, and Excalibur knew how to finish this. Together they were a weapon together. And he was geared to get out of situations like this. The Excalibur disengaged, dropped the axes, then flicked his right hand. An ethereal sword formed in it, and he raised it above his head in a familiar motion. Radial Blind. Without further ado, the blade erupted, breaking apart in a burst of flash and ear piercing sound. As expected, the last two guards faltered, dropping their weapons and holding their sensitive ears. The spear user from before, who finally recovered, went back down again. The girls, while impervious to magic, were not impervious, to this kind. And thus, also blinded, stunned, and unable to hear a thing, breaking the spell, and forcing them to the ground.
Spike had enough from listening, and busted through the door, shocked at what he saw. All of them, down, and that weird guy, still up, not even winded! Excalibur looked at the young dragon, tilted his head...
And bolted for him. Spike ducked, only to be surprised as he felt wind over his scales. He opened his eyes and twisted around, watching the weird guy go. He did his best to keep up, his knowledge of the castle aiding him in this nearly impossible task, only to watch him leap out a window that was open. Spike, panting heavily, made his way over. He was shocked to see the guy land on a nearby roof without beign hurt or even hurting the roof, before leaping off to vanish into an alley.
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Spike sighed, and turned , and immediately made his way back. Once he was back, he noticed that, in the left corner of the doors inside the library, were all the cleaning supplies that guy had to have used, and a box that, when opened, showed the candles that had been replaced. All the cleaning products were even alphabetized. 'Just who was that guy, and why did he clean the library? Then something came back to him. 'Wait, that crazy guy was reading some books!....And burning tea leaves." He stopped his thoughts to sniff the air. "Jasmine, I think? Wonder what he was reading? Spike went to where the guy was originally, and looked around for the now scattered books, picking them up to read the titles and before putting them away.
'A book on today's society? A book on the Equestrian government system? Oh, well, haven't seen this one in awhile.' Spike smirked as he looked at the book on plants. He then furrowed his brow, his smirk turning to a frown. 'Reading three books, two on Equestrian society, one on plants? Well, it explains the one's burning in bowls. Makeshift incense? And then the hand motions...Why didn't he try to talk to us...? It doesn't make sense. From all that he did around here, it was like....' Spike looked on as the girls helped Twilight on her feet, and Shining and the unicorn guard helping their fellow guardsmen. '....A peace offering....' Spike beamed as he slammed the books on a bench, much to everyone's chagrin. "I'VE GOT IT! I know why this all happened!"
Everyone stared at the teenage dragon for a long time, and the ridiculous, beaming smile on his face. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at him. "Well? What did you figure out, Spike?"
Spike chuckled. "The guy was a mute! He has to be! Check it out, when he got in here, the place was A MESS. Books everywhere. And yet he put all the books away, alphabetized them even, swept AND mopped the library, dusted the shelves, AND sat here, reading, WAITING FOR US, while burning tea leaves as makeshift incense! He was making a comfortable environment for us to talk in! But, when Shining rushed on, like the soldier he is, the guy never ONCE spoke! He tried to tell them to calm down with his hands! So, he's a mute, who was trying to TALK to us! Cleaning the library was the peace offering he made!" Spike puffed out his chest with pride as he put his fists to his hips.
Everyone stared in silence at Spike now, actually connecting the dots laid out for them. Pinkie's hair deflated, and her gaze went to the floor. "I should've listened to my twitches before.....He wanted to be our friend, and we were so mean to him...."
Spike turned to Shining and frowned as he opened his eyes to glare at him, crossing his arms. "Not cool, jumping to action like that, Shining. Not. Cool. Now, we may have pissed him off, and he totally wiped the floor with you all." Everyone deadpanned at Spike, but he glared right on back.
In the end, Twilight shook her head and recovered, mostly. "I think we get it, Spike...Listen girls, I think it best everyone head home, but keep your wits about you. No telling what he may do now. Shining, you and the others can use the guest rooms. I have plenty and all are empty." Everyone nodded, and slowly trickled out of the large library. Twilight sighed and lit her horn, using her magic to fix the damages in the library while Spike sighed heavily. "So, Twilight, what if that guy comes back? Mind if I try to talk to him? He seemed pretty cool. I mean, he might've even have cleaned the bathroom if we asked him."
Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. "Sure Spike. We can both talk to, and apologize, to him. Though, I wish I knew what he was. That armor, it looked so advanced....Nothing I've ever seen before!" Spike shrugged as he headed back into the hall.
"Maybe he's from space." Twilight chuckled and shook her head as she followed her little assistant.
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Excalibur eventually looked back, after ten minutes of non-stop running. His mission tracker had given him two options in that library: Engage or extract. He extracted. There had to be SOME way to salvage this situation, he just needed to look harder....
The Tenno Warrior opened up his mission log and checked it for any new objectives. It showed all completed, but the mission had yet to end. Fair enough. He input a new objective: "Explore forest." He then closed the screen and started to casually stroll through the tranquil forest in the setting sun. It was peaceful. The only peace he'd ever known was the peace of sitting in his ship between missions, meditating for a few hours, or getting some sleep. Heh. Sleep. All the Tenno loathed the idea after being in Cryostasis for so long. Some awoken only to stare down the barrel of a Grineer rifle, then fight their way to freedom. He was one of these Tenno. He originally had a voice, but when he awoke, it was to a Grineer Butcher, ready to behead him. With some quick thinking, even while drowsy from the cryo-sleep, he managed to dodge being beheaded, but only just. It ended up not bothering him. For a Tenno, such situations were bound to happen.
His thoughts were interrupted suddenly by screaming. Young. Female. The last time he heard that, was when he was too late to....
The Tenno was gone from his spot even before his mission tracker could change the objective. "Save innocent lives." Damn right he would. Not again, not ever again would he let a life slip through his grasp! Foliage and shrubbery were blasted through, as the Warrior flew through the forest, following the echoes of the screams. He almost stopped when they ended, but was aided by a roar that definitely belonged to a predator.
To avoid bolting into something he knows nothing about, he skidded to a halt, and drew his Paris, crouching in the bushes. Two young creatures-Ponies, as he learned they were called, while he read what he did, were backed up against a large tree, a large, cat-like creature with bat wings and a barbed tail, with foam dripping from its maw had them in its sights. No, wait, there were three of the small ponies, but the third.....
A familiar rage clouded his vision, and he focused on the large beast, tightening his grip as he readied a quivering arrow. As soon as it pounced, so did he....
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Applebloom and Scootaloo had never been more scared for their lives. They always got into trouble, but this! A rabid manticore!? They had been walking home with Sweetie Belle from Zecora's, when suddenly, the manticore leaped from the bushes and chased them into the forest. Sweetie fell behind, and the beast caught her with a paw. Bloom and Scoot tried to block it, but now it seemed like the Cutie Mark Crusaders would all become rabid kitty chow. The last thoughts they had, when the beast pounced, was that they had a good run.
Then, out of nowhere, they heard a shunk!, and a low growl, with a loud thud. When they finally opened their eyes, sure they weren't dead, both girls dropped their jaws in shock. There, lying on its side, was the manticore, blood pooling from the wound in its head. The expression of sudden shock mixed with its relaxing, predatory face in its death throes. The rustling of bushes drew the girls attention, and they then saw their strangely armored Unicorn savior, armed with the bow responsible for the kill.
Then, the bow was placed on their back, with the weird unicorn LEAPING in front of them, landing softly, and then moving ast them to inspect their friend.
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Excalibur got a good, quick look at the two still standing from the encounter. The first one had yellow fur, wore a plaid red shirt, with overalls. To top it off, she had rosy red hair and a matching tail, the hair done up with a nice, light red bow To fully complete the look, she had peach colored eyes. The other one had purple eyes, purple hair and tail, orange fur, and wore a tank top and blue sports shorts. The one on the floor though....
She was white furred, her eyes shut tight, clutching a wound in her stomach. Judging from the small puddle under her, it was serious. The Excalibur sadly frowned as he took in her other features. She wore a stylish white and pink shirt, with jeans. While the yellow one was "normal", and the other had wings, this one had a horn Her hair was light purple, with a pink streak in it, same as her tail. He was starting to notice a pattern. The Excalibur knelt down, in time to see her take a shaky breath. She was alive! Thank Lotus! He blinked one something shook his left arm. He looked to see the yellow one with a scared look on her face. "Please Mister! Ya gotta save her! Do ya know any healing magic?" Magic? Ah yes, he read about that. They must think him a horned one.
He shook his head no, but that didn't stop him. He picked the white one up, and cradled him close to his chest. He nodded towards the direction he came from. The orange one seemed to get it. "The hospital in Ponyville! Can you get her there fast enough? We need to let her sister know what happened." His mission tracker had already updated, and finally, a new damned objective marker on his mini-map. He nodded and turned.
The girls could only blink as he dashed off at a speed that made AppleBloom sure he could outrun her sister any day, before the both of them started to make their own way out of the forest.
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As thing happened around town, something happened in one of the abandoned shops. A robed figure strolled up to said broken down shop, and pounded on the door. Said door was opened, granting the being access, to which they entered with haste. The door slammed shut behind them, and the shop was pitch black, save for a single spotlight, which the stranger stood in. "The time is nigh...Inform the Queen, we strike now. Shining Armor is far from his wife, and the Elements are exposed. We strike at nightfall..." Hundreds of blue orbs suddenly, appeared, and the figure grinned evilly, before the light shut off...
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Excalibur caused all kinds of panic as he ran through town, bolting through the crowds of ponies, heading straight for the nav marker. Course, someone spotted him, and did stop him. "HEY!" Was the warning Excalibur got. Enough to drop from a sprint into a low slide along the ground, barely dodging the leg that came from the sky to no doubt kick his head into his shoulders, if he didn't have his shields. He hopped to his feet and skidded to a stop, looking over his shoulder. It was the cerulean pegasus from the library, wearing a golden necklace with a ruby thunderbolt, a sweater, track shirt, and cargo shorts, with crimson eyes and rainbow hair and tail. He kept Sweetie out of sight for now. "Hey bud! I need to have a few words with you!" Excalibur furiously shook his head and pointed at the hospital, just in sight over the buildings. The woman grunted. "Yeah. Your gonna need it after I'm done with you."
Excalibur never spoke, but when he used his voice, it came out as grunts, or in this case, growls. A growl that would tell anyone to back off. Yet it sounded ethereal, as if, not his own, as he fully turned to the woman, revealing the girl in his arms. The pegasus' demeanor immediately changed, so did the gathering crowd. She got angrier. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" Excalibur shook his head with a guttural grunt and pointed at the hospital again. Rainbow Dash followed his pointing, then looked back at him, before remembering what Spike said in the library. Her demeanor slowly calmed down. "Your...Trying to help her." A nod was the silent reply.
Rainbow growled, mainly at herself for being so stupid, then took to the air. "Come on then! I know your fast, ninja boy! RUN!" Excalibur was off like a gunshot, the crowd yelling "RUN! HURRY!" as well. Now with the rainbow pegasus flying over him as the sun set, he had new hope. Maybe everything would be fine after all.
As soon as they reached the hospital, Excalibur kick slid through the door, and hopped to his feet right in front of the receptionist desk, where a stunned nurse looked at him in shock. But then her eyes fell onto the dying child in his arms. She slammed her hand on the p.a. system. "DOCTOR ALL TO THE ER! DOCTOR ALL, REPORT TO THE ER IMMEDIATELY! GET A STRETCHER TO THE RECEPTIONIST AREA!" The stretcher was there in seconds, and Excalibur gladly handed off the child to the medical professionals. He blinked as a finger poked his shoulder. He spun to see the impatient rainbow girl with her arms crossed.
"Alright bud. Spill. Just who the buck are you, how can you do what you do, and more importantly, who in the name of Celestia taught you to fight like you do? I've heard of NInja's, even seen some ninja movies, but you make that all look like a cakewalk, and then some. So spill!" Excalibur blinked at her, then tapped the chin of his helmet before holding a hand out to her, palm up. Rainbow Dash blinked at him, not getting it. Excalibur silently sighed, and gently, reached out, and took one of her hands, and placed it in his, then turned it over so her palm was facing up.
He then wrote letters in her palm, one at a time. C-A-L-L-M-E-E-X-C-A-L-I-B-U-R She blinked as she read, kinda read that is, what he wrote. "Your....Name is Excalibur? Did I get that right?" The Tenno nodded. He then wrote: I-A-M-A-T-E-N-N-O-W-A-R-R-I-O-R. The girl shook her head. "The buck is a Tenno Warrior? Some secret ninja order?" N-O, T-O-M-U-C-H-T-O-E-X-P-L-A-I-N. She frowned and deadpanned at him. He shrugged. With a roll of her eyes, she huffs. "I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria."
Excalibur mentally chuckled at her. Rainbow sighed. "So, what's with the weird growling and stuff? Are you mute?" She asked, what Spike deduced in the library sticking with her. Excalibur shook his head, using his hand to make a talking motion, before wagging a finger back and forth. "So....yes?" Excalibur tilted his head for a bit, then shrugged again, mentally chuckling.
The Tenno shrugged, then wrote: G-O-T-U-S-E-D-T-O-B-E-I-N-G-S-I-L-E-N-T. Rainbow smirked at that. "I guess that's cool, but with what happened in the library, speech helps, y'know?" Excalibur silently, visibly chuckled, and nodded. Their conversation was broken when the doors were burst open. Excalibur's instincts kicked in, and he suddenly pulled his bow off his back, and knocked an arrow. A white furred woman, then one from the library with light blue eyes, stylish purple hair and tail, and white dress,with another golden necklace with a purple diamond as the choker, held her knees, panting.
"Where...Where is Sweetie!?" Rainbow sighed and patted Excalibur's shoulder. He nodded and disarmed the bow. Rainbow ran to her friend and helped her straighten up.
"She'll be fine, Rare. She actually had some help from an...Unlikely, cool dude. Rarity, meet Excalibur." Rarity was about to offer a hand, when she saw who this, Excalibur was. The man from the library, suddenly sprint at her.
No, past her, sliding and then leaping from the slide, at a person with a hood behind Rarity and Rainbow. Before anything else happened, Excalibur stabbed his arrow into the person's head, much to the girl's shock. "EXCALIBUR! WHAT THE BUCK, MAN!?" Excalibur stood as the person was suddenly engulfed in green flames, revealing them still in a cloak, but to be covered head to toe in chitinous plating, with pupiless blue eyes, a jagged horn, and insect wings, with wicked daggers in each hand. Rainbow Dash blinked, then shook her head. "Saved Sweetie, and then saved both our asses. You sure you ain't a super hero in disguise of a ninja, Excalibur?" Excalibur humored her with planting a foot on the body, then, planting his empty fist on his hip, then raised his bow over his head in a heroic stance.
Rainbow worked hard not to laugh, and hold the now unconscious Rarity in her arms. Excalibur nodded and, looked down at the creature. Rainbow set Rarity on a bench before looking at it herself. "That's a Changeling. What the hell is it doing-Im asking an answered question. Ok, so their here to....Oh shit, the others! We need to help them!" Excalibur nodded and pulled the arrow from the Changeling's head, and readied it in his bow, motioning for Rainbow to lead the way. Rainbow nodded, and bolted out the door, leading the way on the ground, since it was dark out.
Excalibur activated the flashlight on his left shoulder, and followed close behind her, switching out his bow for his kunai, and throwing them into the forehead of every Changeling they encountered. The sound of...Cannon-fire? This. This, drew them to the square, only to find numerous changelings blasted out of...A gingerbread house. Rainbow pointed at the upstairs window, and took flight. Excalibur didn't bother. He took the front door. Twenty three kunai and three sword strikes later, he poked his head in the doorway, and pulled back a a blast of confetti fired out the doorway. He took his chance, charging around into the doorway, and diving behind a table, pulling down for makeshift cover, then raising his hands up in surrender. There was no shooting. He slowly stood up, keeping his arms outstretched, and looked at the suddenly confused face of the pink pony from before.
She had wild pink hair and tail, sky blue eyes, and wore a yellow t-shirt and jeans down to her knees. She beamed at him. "ITS YO-" She blinked, the growled and pointed the cannon at him. At the same time, a changeling flew in the door. Not on Excalibur's count, with a kunai thrown precisely, catching it in the neck and sending it flying over the counter. Pinkie watched this happen, with interest.
She then tackle hugged Excalibur who struggled to keep balance. "IT IS YOU! Oh my gosh Im so so so so sorry! We didn't know!" Excalibur didn't know what to do, but a sudden ruckus upstairs made him curious. He tore her off him, and bolted ustairs, finding the door locked. Not on his watch. A well placed kick, and it went down. A woman, and man, were tied up in the corner. Four Changelings were trying to make off with Rainbow.
And two crying babies. If Excalibur wanted, he would have roared. Instead, it sounded like a VERY PISSED OFF animal. The Changelings only had a second to look, before Excalibur was on them with his Skana. Blood splattered the walls, but in the end, there were four changelings ready for garbage day, and the babies...Were laughing, as a blood coated Excalibur set them on the bed in the room, before untying a stunned Rainbow Dash and the parents, who ignored the scene and rushed to their children. Rainbow gawked at Excalibur, so did the Pink one that just entered. "Dude....You were going easy on us in the library....You're fucking scary when mad...."
Excalibur nodded, and looked to the pink one. He then noticed she had a pendant as well, a pink balloon. Excalibur looked to Rainbow and pointed at Pinkie to be sure, he knew she was in the library. Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, their after her too. Pinkie, this is Excalibur. He's helping us, and the Changelings want to KILL us." Pinkie blinked at Rainbow, then her hair deflated. Excalibur looked out the window, then popped his head back in, drew his bow, knocked an arrow, and fired it outside, the cry of a dying changelings not a second later.
Rainbow got up and hugged Pinkie tightly. "Pinkie. I know it's tough....But, we need to save the others. They're still being targeted....Do you want to let them hurt Fluttershy? To make her cry?" Pinkie's hair went poofy from hearing that, but her eyes were filled with RAGE. She burst downstairs, and game back up with a modified cannon with eight barrels protruding from it. Excalibur knew, it was a mini-gun. "NO ON MAKES FLUTTERSHY CRY! NOBODY!!!!!" Excalibur was going to enjoy seeing this...
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A group of changelings remained in that abandoned shop, around a table with a map of Ponyville. "Our squads are being wiped out! How the hell are Ponies, PONIES, taking down our elite assassins!?" A new changeling burst in from the front door just as this question was asked.
"With their own assassin. Faster. Stronger. More accurate, more deadly. From what one our scouts got before the assassin killed him, his name is Excalibur. We've nothing beyond that, but that he is nothing like anyone has ever seen. His accuracy is perfect, and he is using throwing knives, a bow, and a sword. Whoever this Excalibur is, he is saving the targets, and making fools of us. Won't be long till the Princesses are here..."
The changelings started to talk loudly among themselves, each trying to come up with a way to stop this newcomer. "ENOUGH!" A female voice yelled. A female looking changeling, with a small crown upon her head and wearing a dress made of silk fibers, approached from the shadows. All the changelings bowed. "We will wait for him at Sweet Apple Acres. Withdraw all units to the orchards surrounding that area. We will end them all there. If we can kill just ONE element....This all ends."
All together, they yelled, "YES MY QUEEN!"
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The Grineer base had been abandoned long ago, and the Tenno scattered to keep the Grineer on their toes. It had been hours since the Excalibur disappeared....And not a trace. The Tenno were disheartened by this, but the Volt that was on scene kept hard at work in his ship, trying to fix the machine. He'd been at it non-stop, and now it had gotten to him. He growled and slammed his hands on the table where the machine was, accidentally releasing a static discharge. The machine sparked erratically, before exhuming a puff of black smoke, much to Volt's chagrin. "By the Lotus, we'll never find him at this rate!"
"Actually, sire, I think I just did. When you zapped it, it transmitted for a few seconds. Scanning....Aha! A set of coordinates! At the farthest reaches of space!" Said the ship's AI triumphantly. "Shall I transmit to all Tenno ships that responded to the original alert, sire?"
Volt was on his feet and dashing to the comm station. "Yes! Transmit! Transmit now!" He then opened a direct link to all Tenno ships. "Attention, Tenno! This is Charge! We got coordinates! I repeat, We have Ex's location! WHOSE UP FOR A RESCUE MISSION!?"
It was not even a moment before the first reply came in. "This is Sight, bout time we found that silent son of a bitch, thank Lotus! I'm on my way to the coordinates now!" "Glide here, good job tech-head! I'm on my way!" "Pull here! Thank Lotus, and I'm going too! I owe him one!" "Shade here, locked in and ready to rock!" "Blitz here, charging in!" "Mirror here, they'll need to keep guessing. Let's make sure Ex is safe." "Third here, Im burning stratosphere and on my way!" More and more followed, as Volt locked in the coordinates himself and took off. "ETA for all Tenno ships, Thirty minutes sire. Rescue Alert: Bloody Blade, is officially a go. Also, a message from Lotus."
A motherly female voice entered Volt's mind. Lotus. "Well done Tenno. Thanks to your efforts, we won't have to mourn the loss of another. Make haste, I still worry."
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Excalibur, Rainbow, and Pinkie, finally reached the cottage, to find it bare....
Curious, Rainbow knocked on the door. "Yo! Shy! You there!?" A small, timid voice replied. "Rainbow? Erm..How long were we in school together...A-and where?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Our entire school life, Cloudsdale flight academy." The door opened, and a buttermilk pegasus with pink hair and sky blur eyes, wearing a butterfly pendant and a yellow sweater with a green skirt, hugged Rainbow tightly. Rainbow smiled and hugged her back. Pinkie dropped her cannon, and hugged them both. A rustle came from behind the Tenno however, and he spun, sword in hand, to see a changeling glaring at him. Excalibur growled back.
The changeling grunted as the girls noticed and glared. "You, you are Excalibur? The assassin aiding these ponies? You will come with me, or Honesty dies. And you will come alone."
Rainbow fumed. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH APPLEJACK!?" The changeling didn't answer. Excalibur went to thinking. An innocent life....
Excalibur sheathed his sword on his back, and motioned for the changeling to lead on. Rainbow and the girls gawked. "What? Your going with him!? Its a trap!" Excalibur looked at her, then her friends, and nodded. His stance said it all. He knew. He was going anyways, and he'd fight till this Applejack was safe, or he was dead. Rainbow frowned. "Come back safe, man. Your a pretty cool dude..." Pinkie started crying as the Tenno followed after the Changeling.
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Minutes later, the changeling led Excalibur to the front of the home, of Sweet Apple Acres. The guide buzzed his wings loudly. Buzzing came in turn. Hundreds of changelings came out of hiding, all glaring death at the Tenno. One of them held a pony with no horn or wings, bound all over by rope. Far as Excalibur could tell, she was the orange one with the stetson and green eyes. She was also gagged, but also surprised to see him. The guide faded into the crowd, and a taller changeling, with larger wings, thicker chitin, especially around the thighs, wearing a silk dress made of webbing, and a small black crown on her head. She grinned, a mouth full of fangs at him. "Ah. So YOU are Excalibur! My scouts are right, you are truly something! Just look at you, covered in my children's blood! You, are a born killer, aren't you?"
Excalibur did not answer, but glared under his helmet. The queen shrugged. "I, am Chrysalis. Queen of the Changelings. I have a proposition for you. Why fight for these pitiful ponies? Come, join me. We can take this world over, and you can fight or hunt whatever you want. Whenever you want. Hmm? What say you?"
The air around Excalibur began to grow thick, then began to form around him, in a miniature twister. Excalibur shook with rage as his raised his right hand, palm towards the night sky. On the wind, most Changelings were sure they heard it. A deep, angered male voice, saying: RADIAL. JAVELIN! Chrysalis put up her strongest shield in an instant. Javelins made of wind exploded form the twister as Excalibur closed his fist, slaying numerous changelings. The twister dispersed, and Excalibur drew another ehtreal sword, with energy trailing off of the pommel and guard, almost the same blade as his Skana. The Exalted Blade. "SLAY HIM! NOW!" Green bolts of energy flew at him from all directions, and he redirected them back at the enemy as much he could, while slicing the air, sending blade after blade cutting through changelings in droves. But he was one. There were hundreds.
His shields fell fast, and in the end, he was down on his knees, too weak to stand. Chrysalis grinned savagely, forming her own green, ethereal sword as she walked up to him. "Your life. Is mine."
Or she thought. A sudden series of bursts from orbit, and over twenty strange ships appeared over the orchard. "WHAT!? WHAT IS THIS!?" Excalibur couldn't help but smile in his mind as he heard Lotus on the Loud-speakers on one of the Tenno ships. "We are the Tenno, and you have threatened one of our brethren. Tenno! Rescue Excalibur, leave none but the leader!"
The ships clicked, and suddenly, Tenno of all colors and armor and warframes dropped down into the fray. One landed right next to Excalibur and got him back on his feet, just in time for his shields to reach max. "Hey Bro! Bout time we found ya!" A friend of his, whom used Zephyr. Excalibur was never so glad to see her. He pulled out his bow and fired the first shot. Tenno bows were especially deadly, and his was no different. The arrow went through twenty Changelings before stopping. The Tenno took the Que.
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In a matter of less than a minute, every changeling lay dead, Tenno all surrounding Chrysalis with their weapons aimed at her, while greeting their lost brother. Chrysalis was in shock, and Excalibur had befriended Applejack, who wore a brown vest over a plaid orange shirt with denim jeans, and even greeted her little sister, Applebloom, once more.
The Tenno were chatting among themselves happily, with Chrysalis now tied and gagged. Most were patting Excalibur on the back for his ballsy move. Excalibur looked towards the road to town. Something bugged him.....
A flash near the house, and all the Tenno spun, weapons ready. Excalibur walked past them, surprised by what he saw. An army of gold armored, white furred ponies.
And the five others from the library. Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Applejack ran to embrace her friends. Excalibur waved the Tenno down, which made a few of them mumble among themselves again. Excalibur slowly approached the group, and noticed a new one. No, two. Two regal beings. The first was tall, with a mature body and hair and tail colored that of a rainbow and the fur of pure white, wearing a regal white gown mixed with golden battle armor and a spear. The second was shorter, with hair and tail like the stars, and heavy battle armor with a greatsword. Rainbow looked to Excalibur and ran up, offering him a high five. He returned it silently.
Rarity smirked as she walked over, tilting her head. "Morning, fighting the guards, the night, save Ponyville? You are a mystery, Excalibur." Pinkie tackled hugged him once more. "YOU ARE SO COOL!" The other Tenno burst out laughing at seeing this. One of them even yelled. "HEY! EX HAS FAN GIRLS!" This caused even more riotous laughter. Ex was the nickname for this particular Excalibur using Tenno. He responded to it's use by flipping them a friendly bird.
Once Pinkie was off, the purple one walked up with the white and blue ones. They all had wings and horns. "Erm, hey...Sorry, about this morning, Excalibur sir...." Excalibur waved off the purple one's apology. Th white one....Smiled at him. "A modest, and fierce warrior. You are indeed one to watch, Sir Excalibur. Though, one Rainbow Dash told me you don't like to speak, yet you seem to have a voice....Would you please speak with us, if only a little?"
Excalibur sighed gently, before seeming to take in a deep breath....Then exhaling, a word on the wind. "Yeah, might as well." The girls all stared in shock. The Zephyr barked off a cocky laugh. He rarely spoke, and CHOSE to be mute on purpose. He sounded young like the rest of them, and just as experienced, if not slightly wiser than most Tenno.
"Thank you, Sir Excalibur." Excalibur grunted, turning to the white one fully.
"Just call me Ex. It's what my clan calls me." He said, jerking a thumb at the gathered Tenno.
She chuckled in turn. "Then, just call me Celestia. This is Luna, my sister." The smaller blue one grunted in reply.
Zephyr chuckled as she walked over and nudged Ex's shoulder. "Your ship is inbound. Get ready to pull out."
"Actually, Glide," He started, "I think...I'll stay awhile. This world will need a guardian Tenno since we found it. Who says the Grineer won't? Plus...The races here are interesting."
Glide, the Zephyr, and the other Tenno just gawked mentally at their brother. "I approve of this decision." A new voice chimed in. Lotus....
Excalibur chuckled. "Lotus. I was wondering where you were. So you support this?" The voice replied smoothly, "Yes, Ex. All other Tenno will pull out, and do their best to keep the Grineer from finding this planet. Be well, my child."
Ex looked back to the shocked ponies, and the guards who were cleaning up the bodies, and taking Chrysalis away as the Tenno silently made their ways to their ships and took off, with promises to check in often.
"So....Who doesn't mind a resident Tenno Warrior staying as a Guardian?"
It was smiles all around.