Hard Reset
The world around him disappeared into a dull ringing in his ears and inky blackness. His heart pounded in his head and every piece of him hurt. Nexus had no idea what'd happened. Something hit him, only question was what. The ground under him rumbled and shook like an army was trampling nearby and they were taking heavy artillery fire. He felt something in his right hoof, he was so cold and numb he didn't know what it was. He tried getting air into his lungs but his ribs felt like they were cracked enough to not allow any air in.
He rolled onto his left side, the object in his right hoof still clinging to it loosely. As he pushed himself up slightly he felt something dripping from his mouth. It tasted kind of like copper. His eyelids were open, he knew they were, but his eyes were in the back of his head. Something hit him on the back but held him up as it did so, a hoof also landing on the center of his chest. Somepony was yelling at him on the right, presumably the one holding him up. His eyes slowly moved forward into place and the muddy terrain came into a semi-focus, he wasn't wearing his glasses.
The pony holding him yelled again as Nexus started breathing heavily, to his ribs despair. He shook his head slightly and blinked a few times. the sounds of gunfire started filtering through his ears. The occasional explosion would happen nearby as the pony holding him shouted again this time he could hear more clearly.
"Nexus! You still with us Commander!?" a stallion shouted over the gunfire.
Nexus generally nodded to him. He kept catching his breath trying to remember what was going on.
"Come on Commander, we're surrounded!"
"S-Surrounded?" Nexus said as something about a war started coming back to his mind.
"Come on Colonel, the Griffon's are gonna slaughter us!"
That snapped him into focus suddenly. Not a lot was coming back but some very important bits. Griffons, Griffonstone, General Iron Claw, no air support, mortars raining down That was what hit him, a mortar. He felt a massive amount of anger for some reason, he knew why somewhere but he couldn't seem to get it on the top of his head. He looked forward and found a hill ahead of them, and Griffons coming in on a full charge. Everything was going against them right now, low ammo, a lot of ponies dead. There was something they had.
"How long until the Rosetta's in range?" Nexus asked looking to who was holding him up. It was a light gray earth pony with a striped, mint green mane and golden eyes. What was his name? Thunder Clap? The smell of burnt… everything wafted into his nostrils, his body was finally catching up.
"Last I heard two minutes." Thunder said as Nexus started to stand up on his own.
"Alright. Surrounded you say?"
"Yes Colonel!"
"Tell him to aim for map grid six-eight-tango."
"That's right on us!"
"I'm well aware! PREPARE A CHARGE!" Nexus ordered.
"What the fuck is wrong with you Nexus!"
"Just trust me! If this goes south we'll have an escape route opened. FIX BAYONETS AND DRAWL BLADES! MAKE THEM REMEMBER THIS DAY!"
"Nexus this won't work!"
"WE WERE BORN TO DIE! BUT NOT BEFORE THEM!" The soldiers around him hollered with their weapons over their heads.
Nexus shouted for the charge and started forward with as much force as he could muster. This was war, and it was time to show the Griffons they weren't going down without a fight. The soldiers roared in rage behind Nexus as they followed in full pelt. The Griffons followed behind them trying to put them into a no win scenario. Nexus knew there really was only one thing they could do to avoid it was to become the unstoppable force against the immovable object that was the Griffon's defensive line. If they stopped short of that hill, they'd end up getting hit with their own artillery.
Nexus' head throbbed as he ran, lack of oxygen from yelling and running he supposed. His vision faded in and out as he got closer to the Griffon line, charging at them as well. Nexus took a deep breath as they got close and everything cleared up for a millisecond. The rolling rumble of the two armies running headlong into one another, coming yards closer to their own Armageddon every second. Nexus saw the soldier he was running at, sword held over his head, and guard nonexistent. He leveled the tip of his cavalry sword at him and pulled his elbows back for a running stab. They were twenty feet away from each other now, closed in a fraction of a second. The Griffon brought his sword down as Nexus thrust his blade-
The world around him disappeared into a dull ringing in his ears and inky blackness. His heart pounded in his head and every piece of him hurt. Nexus had no idea what'd happened. Something hit him, only question was what. His left cheek rested on something soft yet firm while the right was being gently stroked by something, a hoof? His lungs hurt, he was hardly breathing! He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out of his mouth. Unlike the last time, he could hear for the most part.
"Is he waking up?" A woman's voice asked directly over him, echoing slightly from the space they were in. Not quite home. She smelled divine though, so Nexus wasn't sure if he cared.
"Don't know." a stallion said further away. "Been out for about, two hours now. He might be." the sound of steps on a metal great got close and stopped right near him. "Nexus, can you hear me?" the Hoofington accent rung a bell. What was going on? He was a medic? No, a doctor….
"Do-" he said with all the air he had. He took another breath and tried again. "Doc?"
"He's coming back to us." the Doctor said. "Keep him over there for now Ditzy, just need to be sure he's okay. Nexus? Lunarus Solaris Nexus?"
"I… Th-the Charge…" the silence started to fade as the war started coming back to him. When did that happen?
"Lunar… Please wake up…" the mare said stroking his cheek some more. Who called him that? Somepony important. No… She wasn't important to anything in the long run. She was important though. How? He nuzzled into whatever he was laying on, he assumed the woman. He could stand to sleep some more.
"Nexus, stay with us now. Talk to him more." The Doctor said. What was his name?
"O-Okay. Lunar… Sweetie wake up…" she said gently tapping his cheek. "Lunar… Please wake up… Don't do this to me again…" Again? Fade… darkness… death… die again… again and again… not this time. "Lunar please." she was about to cry now. He hated seeing her cry. He knew that. "Lunar, Honey please just wake up."
Honey? Honey… Relationship… Love, he loved this woman. He cringed as he tried to move, roll over and find the face. "That's good keep going." The Doctor encouraged.
"Lunar, Astral's been asking about you. He's worried sick about his Daddy."
Astral? Pegasus, son, pocket sized trouble. Mother's… Nexus had found his way onto his back, his right cheek was now resting on something while the back of his head rested against what his left was. He had to figure this out. His eyes tried to open but fought him like they didn't want him to wake up. Eventually he could see more than the orange light around him. The warm object he was resting on shifted as well and something wrapped around his shoulders, cradling him. He definitely was in somepony's lap.
"Lunar?"
His eyes slowly rolled forward again and the blurry image of a light brown blob with black on top of it and orange around it. A small smudge of blue rested inside it as well, it was a nice blue… He remembered that blue, her favorite color. He forced everything he had at the moment to clearing the mare in front of him, or rather above. The familiar features of an average looking mare started popping into his head, he knew them perfectly but was still searching for a name.
Then she came into better focus, pure black mane tied in a ponytail, the end draped down over her left shoulder and sat just in front of his nose. He knew that shampoo, he bought it for her. He knew her, she lived with him. But what was her name?
"Good morning sleepy head." she said softly.
That did it! She was his wife! He knew her! They had a son named Astral Wind, her favorite movie was High Marks, starring Star Struck as the leading man at the Cloudsdale Air Defense Squadron. She was pregnant! She was going to have another one of his children! What was her name!? Her cutie mark, what was it again? Paint brush? No, a paint brush was the handle of something. FEATHER DUSTER! The cutie mark, not her name. This wasn't helping his migraine. If anything it was getting worse by the second. But her name was close to it… Dust… Dust was her name. Dust Storm! Wait… she knew who he was?
"Y-you remember me?"
"How can I forget you? You're too much of a pain my ass to forget."
"Mooooooooooom" Astral called away from them.
"I'll put a Bit in the jar latter son."
Nexus looked towards Astral and saw him at the TARDIS console with Ditzy… Derpy. Her name is Derpy…. or Ditzy, not important right now. In fact he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real. Dust's lap certainly felt real enough, he wouldn't mind staying there. What'd happened?
As if sensing Nexus' thought, The Doctor answered. "Nexus, you're in the TARDIS. Do you remember what that is?"
"Time… Time And Relative Dimension… In Space. It's…….. some kind of time machine?" Nexus said cringing.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"Uh… I don't know. I… I…"
"The Maze?"
"Maze? Daleks…"
"It's alright. We're safe now. That maze is gone and so are the creatures in it."
"Dust… She…"
"She's fine now. The Timeline reset to moment when the machine turned on. Do you remember the date?"
"Uh… June… Something I think."
"It's the twenty fourth Lunar." Dust said.
"Happy Birthday!" Derpy shouted popping up behind the Doctor with Astral. They blew onto party favors to celebrate.
"My birthday? I'm Thirty-"
"Three. You lying cow." The Doctor said getting up. "But you're fine. Vitals are stable, and no permanent side effects from it I think. Never thought somebody could be struck by lightning from a time storm. Not really sure what would happen. But, it's good to see you're alright."
"You wanna go see what Auntie Luna and I got for you?" Astral said ecstatically laying next to his father's face.
"In a bit son. I'd like to rest for a while." Nexus said as the Doctor fiddled with the controls.
"Where are we going Doctor?" Derpy asked.
"Nowhere special. Just thought that with our little guest here," he said getting on his knees after finishing fiddling with the console. "I thought maybe he'd like to see what Earth looks like from space."
"Space!?"
"Oh yeah. Ditzy why don't you keep him from falling out the TARDIS while I help Nexus up for a moment."
"I'm fine here honestly." Nexus said nuzzling deeper into his wife's stomach, the end of her ponytail still right next to his nose. It just smelled like shampoo, he never really bothered looking at the scent, she liked and that's it.
"Come on, seeing the planet from a place nobody'll be seeing for almost another hundred years? You want to pass that up?"
"Well I'm not sitting here holding you all day Lunar. Now off." Dust said patting him on the chest.
Nexus groaned, still being more than a bit sore. "Okay, a little help please?"
Dust giggled as the Doctor grabbed him on his left side, Dust on the right. They groaned and got him up on his hoofs. Dust wasn't very strong but Nexus was starting to be able to hold himself up. He did lean on her after the Doctor let go to flip a few switches on the console but thankfully Dust wasn't going down anytime soon.
"You need to invent a lighter metal instead of a whole two percent increase in A.L.I.S.' memory thing."
"Memory Server Matrix." Nexus corrected. "Doc, does the TARDIS have internal gravity control?"
"Standard."
"I think it's going into overdrive. Cause I'm getting heavier I think." Nexus said leaning heavier on Dust's shoulder.
"Lunar, Lunar don't you dare!" She said as Nexus started 'falling' on her.
"I can't help it, the TARDIS is on the fritz!" he said leaning harder.
"Lunar!"
"Alright." He said putting less weight on her. "Call that payback."
"Playfully abuse each other later. Come take a look." The Doctor said at the open doors of the TARDIS.
The Doctor moved aside to give them room to see out the doors. Astral sat behind Derpy who kept him from leaning too far out the doors. She saw Dust coming and took her hoofs off Astral. He looked back an saw Nexus up and walking. He smiled and buzzed his little wings. He flew up and hugged him around the neck as tight as he could.
"Son… Struck by lighting… Kind of soar."
"Sorry Dad…" Astral said letting go.
"It's fine Budd. How's the view?"
"Awesome! You can see Canterlot from here!"
Astral got up on top of Nexus' head. Nexus never was quite sure why he rode on his head but his neck isn't what hurt right now. He looked out over Earth from the doors of the TARDIS in awe. They were flying right over Equestria. Astral was right, they could see Canterlot from here. The mountain range was massive. Manehatten, the Horseshoe Bay, Badlands, not the Crystal Empire. He couldn't see through the clouds to the north. It was a relatively clear day across most of Equestria though. The oceans on either side of the country were a beautiful blue with the white clouds in a semi-spiral pattern made it look like surf against the shore. It wasn't hurricane, nowhere near enough clouds. Still beautiful. He'd never actually thought the planet was this big. Maps and Globes did not do this justice.
"Alright, it might be the blood still rushing to my head, but I'm starting to get vertigo. Mind if we get our hoofs back on solid ground?" Nexus asked.
"Sure." The Doctor said. The door shut on its own and Dust let Nexus lean on the railing.
Astral slid down Nexus' back and stopped on his wings. He'd almost forgotten he was still wearing them. The TARDIS jolted and the wheezing stopped, Nexus assumed they'd landed.
"Thanks for the view Doc." Nexus said.
"Oh we're far from done."
"Pardon me?"
"Since it's your birthday, I figured I could treat you to one free trip on the TARDIS."
"Doc, I appreciate it bu-"
"Oh not just you, all of you. I know how to get you two in the Leisure Palace on the planet of Midnight! Cocktails on demand and the best tans you could possibly get alongside the best looking landscapes you could imagine!"
"Kid coming with." Nexus said motioning to Astral on his head.
"Baby on board." Dust said patting her belly.
"Congrats. But you don't have to get a cocktail. Come on, it's the most luxurious hotel resort in the universe!"
"No offence Doctor but I'm gonna want to get some bed rest after the weekend I've had."
"You can get plenty at the hotel! Come on, it's the least I could do."
"Doc, I think I've had enough space travel for one lifetime. Plus I have a party I need to get to tonight. Come on Dust."
"It's a time machine Lunar." Dust said taking Astral off his shoulders. "We can be back before anypony knows we're even gone. Literally!"
"Dust, I would love nothing more than some time in my own bed. Please? For me?"
"Ugh…. fine."
"But I wanna see Midnight!"
"Maybe some other time son. I promise. Let's go."
"Lunar…" Dust said going next to him.
"I could use a little help getting to the couch at least, please?" Nexus asked.
"Sorry Doctor. Maybe when he's feeling better."
"Deep tissue massages, the best food this side of the Medusa Cascade! You'll love it!"
"Doc…"
"Alright." He said turning back to the console. Dust helped Nexus off the railing, let Astral hold on to Nexus' back instead of hers and started to limp out. "It's a shame though, the diamond surface of Midnight is beautiful at night."
"What surface of Midnight now?" Dust asked stopping at the door.
"Diamond." the Doctor repeated. Derpy smiled as the Doctor kept going. "Didn't I mention that before? The whole planet is made of diamonds."
"That's it!" Dust said letting her husband off of her. He stumbled for a second before getting a hoof on the railing. "Come on Astral, we're going to pack Daddy's things for the weekend trip."
"YAY!"
"Dust!"
"We're going! It's a planet made of diamonds Lunar! When am I ever going to see that again!?"
"Next week when I can stand steady without somepony holding me up!"
"Lunar!"
"Look, I can adjust your legs to hold their own equilibrium until you get yours back. Just get packed."
"Good, I'll be right back." Dust said. "Come on Astral, let's go get your swim suits! Wait there's a pool right?"
"Six, Naturally."
"Let's go get packed honey. I'll pack for your father while he gets his legs fixed."
"Yay!"
The rest of his family walked out and Nexus move towards the console. The Doctor pulled his Soni- "Wait didn't that break?"
"It did. TARDIS made me a new one."
"Neat machine. I'm going to make you pay for this you know."
"Ah, I can get you in for free as it is. You'll have to answer to Ambassador while you're there." The Doctor answered waving the Sonic Screwdriver at Nexus' legs.
"That's not what I, wait. You're going to tell them we're someone important?"
"Well not exactly."
"It's more lie about who you are."
"I'll be your assistant John Smith. Ditzy's mine."
"The assistant's assistant?"
"Don't worry about semantics." Derpy reassured him. "The Doctor's usually actually takes the part of ambassador when we stay at hotels."
"Wait… You do this all the time? Isn't that illegal?"
"It's… complicated. Anyways… THERE! Get off the railing."
Nexus pushed himself upright and slowly let go of the piece of metal. He stood up right and didn't waver. He stomped each hoof trying to make sure they all worked and was happy to find all four were still in working order.
"Well, paying for it wasn't what I was talking about. I mean I don't like resorts, I don't end up doing anything besides reading by the pool."
"Ah, you'll still love it. Just try something there."
"Fine."
"So… What were you talking about when you said, "The Charge."?"
"It feels like it was a dream. Honestly I wasn't sure if this wasn't the dream for a second, but I…. I saw a war. I don't remember much but I remember we were getting torn apart outside of Griffonstone. I ordered a charge and that's all I remember. Why?"
"There's a famous battle in Equestria, it was called The Charge."
"What happened?"
"I can't say. What I can say is it was one of the bloodiest events in history."
"And I was in it"
"It would seem so."
"Why do you ask?"
"When I scanned you before, the Sonic said you were locked into two points in time. I couldn't really tell until you said The Charge."
"Locked?"
"Time has two modes of being. In flux and fixed." the Doctor explained. "There are some things that can't be changed at all. If they are they'll break the fabric of space and time. It's impossible for you to change them unless you happen to have a time machine. But some things can be changed. And somehow the lightning striking you locked a moment in time within your future. And somehow it tried to lock you into it."
"I don't think I follow… But Doc… You're sure it's me?"
"Well… History says you lead The Charge."
"Alright then… I guess… I've got something to prevent."
"It's a fixed point in time Nexus. There's nothing you can do."
"Not true." Nexus said looking back to see Dust plopping a duffle bag of cloths at the door of the TARDIS. "I can sure as hell try and delay it as long as possible."
The Doctor followed his gaze and smiled. "Can't argue with that."
Astral came around the corner plot first, growling like a dog. Nexus chuckled and rolled his eyes. He moved up behind his son and saw what he was growling at, his duffle bag. The straps firmly held in his teeth and him dragging with all his little might but the bag was stuck on the edge of the TARDIS.
"Need some help there Astro?" Nexus asked leaning over him.
"No! Hi Ghot hit!" he said with his mouth full of canvas.
"He sai-"
"I don't have to speak every language to know what he said Doc." Nexus said chuckling.
"Oh yeah. Speaking of languages you should be able to understand those better now."
"Why?" Nexus asked as the bag finally came off the edge and Astral dragged it in.
"Best we leave it. Let's just call it a bonus gift."
"I'm not sure what I got bu-"
"Don't look a gift dragon in the mouth." Dust said with her bags laying across her back. The Doctor giggled for some reason and Dust set her bags down on the floor and moved Astral's next to her. "I think you should know I've got that dress and you are taking me dancing."
"I hate you." Nexus groaned.
"Love you too!" Dust said kissing his cheek.
"We ready to go?" The Doctor said as he ran across the console.
"You did pack me a few books right?"
"A few?" Derpy asked.
"He likes options." Dust answered.
"It's true."
"And yes we are."
"Good. Astral, care to do the honors?" The Doctor asked.
"Can I!?"
"Sure. Just pull this lever."
"Awesome!" Astral shouted running up to the console and Tried getting up to pull the lever.
Nexus smiled and got up behind him and lifting him up on his own.
"Now before you pull that lever, there's something you have to say." Nexus told him.
"What is it?" Astral asked his father. Nexus whispered it and Astral raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Nexus chuckled and nodded. "Okay… A..Alon…"
"Say it with me."
"Allons-y!" the Nexus boys said in unison.
With that, Astral threw the switch and the TARDIS made its signature wheezing noise as it went off. As much as Nexus hated resorts, he had to be honest, he wasn't as unhappy with it as he let on. Everything was going to be fine. As long as he had his family, he'd be happy, he'd be fine. The TARDIS landed and the doors opened to a blinding white light. Astral ran out almost instantly and Dust had to run out to get him. Derpy went with them on a happy trot and Nexus walked behind them. As he passed the door he picked up the bags with his horn.
He walked out into the bright white atrium of the Leisure Palace. He knew that because there was a big glass sign telling him it was so. He looked back and found the Doctor locking the TARDIS. Everypony was looking around in awe but Nexus had been to the Crystal Empire enough that this wasn't incredibly impressive.
"Alright everybody," the Doctor said. "I'll go get somebody to check you in."
"I'll come with you." Nexus said following him.
"So there something you wanted to talk about?" The Doctor asked as he looked for a pony that worked there. All Nexus could see was ponies in white robes.
"It's just… I don't want to be rude Doc, but can we keep any future visits to a minimum?" Nexus asked.
"Don't worry Nexus, you're a fixed point in time again. I can't really take you very many places without messing up space and time."
"Well, don't think that doesn't mean you can't come by. I know you don't like soldiers but… Just if you ever need anything that I can help with, don't hesitate to come by."
"Those sound like contradicting things."
"They are. After all this Doc… I'd hate to leave with you thinking I'm just another soldier."
"You're not. Only when you need to be. And when I need you, I'll come back."
Nexus smiled and held out his hoof. "Friends?"
"Friends." The Doctor said shaking his hoof.
Nexus smiled back and they looked for an employee. They did find somepony in what looked like a company's uniform and the Doctor flagged him down. "Excuse me sir! Yes, I'm John Smith, assistant to the newly elected Ambassadors from Sto." The Doctor said holding up what Nexus assumed was an ID card in his wallet.
"Oh, is this him?"
"Yes. Hi. I'm… Vincent, Vincent Autore. A pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure's all mine. I assume you're the one who's fighting for cyborg rights over in there eh?"
"Uh… Y-yes I am. I'm very happy to have been voted to represent my fellow semi-mechanical kin."
"Good. I have a-"
"The Ambassador doesn't wish to speak of work. Would you kindly take his bags to the nicest room here and have catalog him and his family?" The Doctor interrupted motioning towards his family and Derpy standing near the TARDIS still in awe of their surroundings.
"Right away sir. Again, it's great to meet you Ambassador Autore! And I hope you and your family enjoy your stay." them employee said running off without the bags. He did quickly realize his error and quickly grabbed them off his back.
"Sto?" Nexus asked quietly.
"What? It's a real planet with a cyborg population. Or do you prefer semi-mechanical equine?"
Nexus laughed and shook his head as a hovering sphere came by and shined some light in his face before moving over to the Doctor's. The sphere then flashed green and flew over to his family. They flinched when it shined its light at them but didn't act rash thankfully. It wasn't long before it came back and dispensed a card with a number printed on one side and a black line on the other. This was going to be a loooooooong vacation. As much as he was kind of excited to see this place, he was ready to hopefully relax. After all, him plus vacations never quite mixed without some very painful results. "Think Positive." he told himself. "Think Positive."
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Lunarus Solaris Nexus · 31k words · 7 3 · 340 views
- Lunarus Solaris Nexus · 4.2k words · 10 3 · 722 views
- Lunarus Solaris Nexus · 17k words · 8 4 · 432 views
Stats
Page generated in 0.215 seconds
Total duration
1,030 users online
2,764,428 hits today, 2,139,894 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
That ending...... is that a reference? XD
6089330 The Author's notes or what? If it's the gravity thing i took that from Lilo and Stitch when Lilo's pushing her big sister out of her room. It was adorable then so i figured why not?
6089356
I mean what the doctor said.
6089380 That's specific! There's only about FIFTY lines he says in the whole chapter!
6089640
Ok Sorry lol didn't mean to make you worry or anything. It was just a reference i liked XD
6089836 Well what one was it?
6089882
the reference to the episode where 10 and donna went to midnight and the entity tried to take over the doctor
6090383 It's not a reference to the episode. it's more to the whole thing. Unless that's how he got her to Midnight. Then yeah, indirectly I did.
Awesome Lunar! (I'm from PonySquare)
7535475 Boy, I couldn't tell. *all the sarcasm*