Chapter 34: From the Stars
It was about five in the morning when Home Run’s phone rang. The sky outside was still dark, with clouds blocking out tonight’s moonlight. The blue haired boy startled awake, using a single eye to locate the ringing object on his bedside table.
Finally finding it, he thumbed the ‘accept’ button, but he first let his ears adjust to the silence before placing the phone to his head.
“Hmmm… Home Run speaking. Who’s this…?” he mumbled, licking at his dry lips. He made a reminder in his head to place a water bottle by his bedside from tomorrow onwards.
“Hey, slugger! It’s Dash.” Why did he have a feeling it would be the captain calling? Home Run sighed and continued listening. “You free to talk?”
“It’s like…” he looked at his clock. “Five in the morning… Why are you up so early?”
“Couldn’t sleep after what happened today, so I went out to play some soccer. Are you-Are you free to join me? I could use some company.”
Home Run groaned, but he didn’t want to say no. “Umm… Sure, I’ll be there, I guess. Where are you…?”
“I’m in a field close to home. Vauban can probably find me for you. See you soon, Home Run!”
The line clicked off.
The baseball player shifted his feet off his bed and to the ground. He wiped at his face once and stretched his arms up as far as they could go.
“Seriously, Vauban. What would she want at this hour?”
“You humans are a bit odd,” the Tenno replied simply. “I learn something new, and you have to go and do something I haven’t learned. I guess you’re going to have to get there to find out. You ready?”
“Just give me five minutes…” Home Run said and fell back against his bed.
The cool morning air stuck to Home Run’s skin as he pedalled his bike towards the other side of town. He half remembered where Rainbow Dash stayed, but the park on the other hand, was news to him. Thankfully, Vauban was able to track Zephyr’s signal, allowing Home Run to find the place with little trouble.
He could see it now. A little green field with hills and concrete paths strewn across its area. Home Run had only just gotten off his bike when a white and black ball flew straight for him. On the down side, he was too sleepy to dodge it. On the up side, the impact knocked the sleepiness off of him. He fell back against the grassy floor, rubbing his nose.
“My bad, Homey,” Rainbow Dash said as she jogged up to him, picking up her ball. “Didn’t see you there.”
“Didn’t see me?” he shook the stars out of his head. “I have a bike.”
The star athlete bent down and helped him up, straightening his blue striped shirt. “Yep. Totally didn’t see you.”
“Huh. Well, what did you want to see me about? Why not one of the others?”
“Meh, you’re the only one who’ll get up when I tell you to,” she joked.
“Yeah. Funny,” Home Run lowered his eyelids. “Well, since I’m already here… What’s up?”
“It’s been a few days since we’ve seen the Stalker. Do you-Do you think he’s really gone away?”
Home Run shrugged after a few seconds of thinking. “Who can say for sure? I’m just going with what Mr. Loregiver said. At least a few months right?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded, but her face said otherwise. “But that’s what worries me. What if we drop our guard? We go back to the way things were? We won’t be ready when he returns.”
“We’ll be alright.” This time, Home Run was the one being optimistic. “We have our partners to look out for us. I heard you got your Maximum Drift too.”
“You bet I did!” she whooped. “Zephyr and I are the most awesome out there.”
Home Run grinned. “Now, that’s the spirit, captain, so don’t worry. We’ll be ready for the Stalker when he returns. We’ll make him see the truth.”
Rainbow began bouncing the ball on her knees. “I’m hoping so. It’ll be much better if we can just be friends. No need for a battle and all.”
“Maybe we’ll be able to find something out.” Home Run tried to be funny, kicking out at the ball as it sailed over to Rainbow’s right knee.
The rainbow haired girl skillfully maneuvered the ball away from him; his foot never touched the ball. Rainbow bent back in laughter before flashing Home Run a serious face. The baseball player accepted the challenged and moved in, trying to steal the ball from her.
“Good try, slugger, but you’re right,” she kicked the ball over his head and followed through behind him, still keeping control of the ball. “We’ll manage. I think it’s time we have another good break without any aliens of sorts trying to kill us.”
“Got that right.” The boy kicked out straight, just missing the ball as it hopped between Rainbow’s feet. He just wasn’t fast enough. “Plus, we’ve got the sirens too. I’d like to make them feel welcome, if it’s all okay with you girls.”
“We’re with you, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out. They almost took over the world once, and once is enough.” Rainbow tugged the ball back with a foot, keeping it away from the baseball player. “You sure you’re not under their control or anything right? Adagio, the one with the puffy hair, she seems to have a thing for you.”
“I’m definitely not under- what did you say?” Home Run stopped in his tracks.
“I’ve seen her staring at you,” Rainbow guffawed, bouncing the ball back up. “Either she’s spying on you, or she’s taken a liking to you.”
“Seriously? I’ve known her like, less than a week. We’ve barely talked.”
“Doesn’t matter. I suggest keeping an eye out too. If she plans on using you…”
“Well, I’ll make sure to be careful, but I still think it’ll be good to not hold their past against them.”
The captain only took interest in the first half of Home Run’s sentence. “Careful? You’re the last person to be careful. Ha ha! No offense.”
Home Run grinned and charged forward to try and grab the ball again. This time, he caught the captain by surprise, but still didn’t manage to get the ball as she passed it back behind herself. The baseball player skidded to a stop, but the grass was still slippery from the morning dew, sending him tumbling right into the rainbow haired girl.
“Oomph!” the captain grunted as she hit the ground first. “What did I just say?”
Home Run had landed on top of her, but kept his hands down to avoid dropping his whole weight on her. “Sorry capt. Foot slipped. You okay?”
The captain really was something else. She was pretty and she was great at sports. Just too bad that sports was everything to her.
“I’ve been through worse…” she mumbled as Home Run helped her up to a sitting position. “You have too. Just make sure you don’t injure yourself before our big games. We need you in there. You’re made for baseball.”
“Thanks, Rainbow,” Home Run smiled. He was sad that they weren’t together, but he was glad that he had such a great friend. “You’re awesome.”
“Course I am,” she punched him in the arm. “You’re pretty awesome on the field yourself, slugger. Glad that I got to know you.”
Home Run looked up to the stars above, wondering what other alien life might be out there. The two of them just sat there, just watching the amazing sky above them.
“Yeah. Thanks for being an awesome friend, Dash.”
“Fascinating tale,” Stardust breathed as she trotted down to the first floor of Twilight Sparkle’s palace. “I have wondered where alicorns come from, but… it seems there is more to it than I thought.”
“Perhaps,” Twilight shrugged. For today, Nyx was away in the dojo, practicing her own skills and trying to beat her old record at the obstacle course. She figured she shouldn’t always rely on Twilight to get things done. “Well, you’ve got wings yourself, Stardust, so that sorta makes you an alicorn too!”
“I don’t think these count,” Stardust said and looked back to her mechanical wings.
They stepped out of Twilight’s palace, standing in the warm morning sunlight. “That concludes our tour of Ponyville. How’d you like it?”
The white unicorn nodded. “Yes, this is a nice place, though I’m sure I still prefer to be home in Canterlot.”
“From what I heard, you grew up there, didn’t you?”
Stardust smiled, remembering her past. “Yes. Canterlot has been my one and only home. It’s a pity I didn’t have many friends. I never quite fit in with the others.”
Twilight placed a hoof on the mechanical pony’s shoulder. “It’s fine, Stardust. I didn’t have any friends back when I lived in Canterlot. Only by moving to Ponyville did I discover what friendship could be, after my friends shared its magic with me.”
“That sounds so cheesy, Princess Twilight,” Stardust chuckled.
“But it’s so true!” Twilight joined in. “But as I was saying, we’re here for you, Stardust. If you ever need friends, don’t hesitate to ask. After all, you’re a fellow book-lover!”
“That I will, Twilight Sparkle. I am in your debt. You’ve freed me from my prison and you protected Princess Celestia.”
“So where are you going now?” Twilight was curious. “Do you still have a home in Canterlot? I mean, it’s been a long time.”
Stardust simply shrugged. “I do not know. It has been ages since I traversed the streets of Canterlot. I believe I shall have great fun doing so.”
“Glad to hear it, Stardust. Glad to hear it.”
“Yeah. Also, I think I might have figured out how to repair your damaged Warframes. The ones in the pods.”
Twilight widened her eyes. She didn’t think it was possible. “You can?”
Stardust grinned. “I believe so. When Duality left, she didn’t take the knowledge of the Void with her. With my magic and technology, I should be able to slap the Warframes back together, good as new.”
“Now that is good news, Stardust!” the friendship princess flapped her wings happily. “Nyx would be happy to hear that.”
“Perhaps I shall let her know when I return to the castle later today.” Stardust began to hover up, ready to head out. “Thank you for the tour, Princess Twilight. It has been an honour getting to know you all. I will make it a point to visit from time to time. Do take care of yourself.”
The lavender alicorn waved a hoof as the white unicorn accelerated into the skies, flying at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash’s jaw drop. She turned around and began trotting back into her palace, glad that everything had turned out right in the end.
The Stalker hovered in the darkness of space, grasping at the stump that had once been his foot. For once in his life as a hunter, he had failed. He swirled a cloud of black smoke around himself, trying to steady his anger. It would be a long time before he could find the parts to repair himself. Without a foot, there was no way he could stand against the Excalibur Prime all by himself. He had to think of something else; another way to finish his goals.
A dream, they had told him. Was it all really a dream? The destruction of the Orokin by Tenno hands? The Stalker didn’t know what to believe anymore, but he vowed he would make those who destroyed his masters pay, whether it was the Lotus’ doing or not.
“Whoever killed my masters…” the Stalker squeezed the dark energy in his palm. “You will pay. Mark my words, Lotus. If you were responsible for the death of the Orokin, then you will feel their reckoning tenfold.”
In the far reaches of space, everything seemed quiet, unmoving, lifeless, except for a cluster of strangely shaped space vessels, silently gliding along, their destination unclear. They had only just passed Saturn, continuing to make their way down the solar system, searching for their target.
“Helmsman,” a female voice yelled from the darkness of the lead galleon’s bridge. “How long must we wait? Why are we not there yet?”
“Forgive me, your majesties,” he cowered, waving for the others to speed up their movement. “I will quicken our speed.”
“You do well to make sure of that,” a second voice, also female, answered. “We were foolish to send Captain Vor alone. He is an incompetent. A mistake we will not make a second time.”
“Yes, your majesties.”
The doors to the bridge swished open, revealing a man in a full set of ferrite armor, stalking down the steel plated floor, heading straight for the viewing panels.
“Lieutenant,” one of the voices acknowledged. “How are the preparations going?”
“According to plan, my queens,” the Grineer lieutenant bowed. Behind his back rested a fairly large hammer, circular on boths sides, with spikes protruding from each bulb. Steam hissed out from a regulator on his helmet as he spoke. “The general is preparing the rest of the troops.”
“Ah. Very good. He has our thanks, lieutenant,” the other voice spoke. “It was fortunate that we allowed him use of the experimental suit after his little… accident.”
“He enjoys it, my queens. What would you have me do now?”
“Return to the labs,” one of them pointed a finger to the door. “Check on Tyl Regor. If he has been able to create the new soldiers, then the Lotus shall not be able to stop us.”
The Grineer lieutenant bowed and took his leave, returning through the door he had come from.
“Full speed, helmsman!” one queen yelled to the front.
“All is well?” one of them asked the other.
“Yes. We know the Lotus’ location. Now, it’s just a matter of getting there.”
“Yes. The time has finally come to end this. Down with the Lotus!”
“Once and for all,” her sister agreed.
The lead galleon increased its speed, pulling ahead of the rest of the armada. The countless of other Grineer ships began to pick up speed, heading after their leaders. This time, the Grineer were better prepared. No Tenno or humans creatures were going to stop them. None.
Achievement Unlocked
Dual Reckoning: You've reached the end of Act II and await Act III
Just wanted to say, since the Warframe story has expanded a little more, ours isn't going to be following the exact origins. Instead, we'll have a little different twist here and there, so stay tuned to find out!
Thanks for reading this far, everyone! This time, we're going to be stopping to plan the next part out fully. It might take a while, but we'll see what happens then! Cheers!
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A small part of me wished that second dream could make some kind of appearance.
7388087 Oops, my bad there. You know, I don't even know how I saw it as white. I shall enter to change it. Thanks for notifying me!
7395649 That's true. But I would also think that somehow the Grineer queens were involved too.
Lech Kril and Sargus Ruk travelling with the Queens. Lovely. As if the two bosses weren't already annoying to fight. And Tyl Regor, as well. What horrors will he be inflicting upon our heroes?
The Queens are bringing in heavy muscle with this invasion. Only Councilor Vay Hek and Keyla de Thaym are left behind now. Though then again, who really wants to see Vay Hek's flying ugly face.
7447737 Just, in general? Those are rather low-powered weapons. As of late, my primary configuration has been Mag Prime, Vaykor Hek, Akstilletto Prime, Orthos Prime, and Carrier Prime.
7396145
Well the Kuria poem says they're not clones, and seems to suggest that they're Orokin. I personally think they're Sentients because if they were Orokin, why would everyone be freaked out that they were twins?
7396145
7511276
Restating because I realized how confusing my comment was.
http://warframe.wikia.com/wiki/Kuria
My line of thinking is that since Orokin were just super advanced humans, there would be little reason for the elders to be so freaked out by twins that they had to be rescued by their father from being disected.
We don't know a whole lot about Sentient biology however, it very well could be that having twin daughters could be a near unique event for them, enough to warrant the leaders of the Sentients to try to discover how it happened.
7717914 Vor is Vor. There is only one Captain Vor.
7396145
7511310
Well, The War Within gave some great insight on the Queens, especially with the Kuria poem in mind
7717940
So it's out the? Awesome!
7718045
7717940
Well, what do you guys think? Do the Queens sound Orokin or any of the slightest? Haha.
7718152
Turns out it's both. Continuity is a hell of a drug.
I can't wait to see the next part keep up the good work
7729787 Thanks, mate! I appreciate it.
When do you plan on releasing the next part?
7735314 Well, I've got a ton of drawings to finish at the moment, so once those are done, I'll be back for typing! The War Within has given me what I need to get the third part in, so yeah! I'm not sure how long, but it might be a while.
7772118 Haha, well, I too haven't gotten Mirage, but yes, I have seen some really OP ones. As for your question, the simulor wasn't out yet when I wrote all this, so... yeah.
7717930
Unless one takes into account the theory of the multiverse, then there might be a Vor Couterpart.
8845075
Considering the Grineer in this story are only seen coming from the Earth side of the portal, I'm gonna say that the multiverse is irrelevant in that argument.
A step up from Act I for sure, not perfect but much more enjoyable.
Act 2 was a huge step up, I enjoyed it a lot more this time.