Echoes of the Ancient

by Wandering Axioms

Act 3.1

Act 3

Faces of the Past

“I’ve been to this place before...”

The cold had settled in quickly as the last of the sun’s light disappeared behind the western horizon of the Iraqi Desert. The date was November 4th, 2212, and Aiden sat in a filthy trench with his teammates, Logan Somers and Alex Rey. The three of them knew that within moments, Leon Caine would fire a flare into the sky, signaling the start of the operation. The Network had been contracted by the Commonwealth of Baghdad and Jordan to deal with an insurgent group that had taken over a small village a few kilometers North of the Commonwealth’s capital city.

Aiden thought it was rather odd at first; as did plenty of other Network agents. Why couldn’t the Commonwealth’s military simply sort it out? It wasn’t like they were incapable of doing so. Apparently the Commonwealth’s representatives were reluctant to discuss the nature of this specific village. Network Central Authority explained that they would simply mumble in Arabic about unnatural happenings in that place; namely what they called witchcraft and demonic cults. Now of course, Aiden and just about every other agent in the Network simply shook their heads at such assumptions. It was most likely just some fanatical religious sect whose leader was going on and on about the end of times.

“Guess we didn’t learn anything,” Aiden whispered as he shook his head.

“Hmm? Did you say something, Aiden?” Logan, whom was sitting right across from him asked.

“Just thinking about our opposition in this task we have,” Aiden replied. “It’s probably just some radical group.”

“Yes, they’re fairly common in this part of the world, even after the nukes fell.” Logan agreed.

“Yeah,” Aiden sighed. “I was thinking about how far some people are willing to go for their beliefs.” He frowned as he brought his knees up to his chest. “Like I said; we didn’t learn anything after the nukes fell.”

“Uh huh,” Alex quietly mused as he leaned his head against the wall of the trench. He let out a long tired sigh as he reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver cross, and twirled it around in his fingers. “Who needs that...” he sighs again as he eyes the cross with an even deeper frown.

Suddenly, a hissing noise could be heard as the three of them were bathed in a red glow. Aiden lifted his head and turned his gaze towards the sky to see a ball of bright red light soaring into the air, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.

“That’s Leon’s flare,” Logan quietly stated. “Seems like the assault is starting...” he finished as the yells of other Network agents could be heard in the distance.

“Come on,” Aiden said as he stood up and placed his hand on the edge of the trench. “That paycheck isn’t gonna earn itself, now is it?” He jested, trying his best to lighten the mood. He lifted himself up while holding his M98 automatic carbine in his left hand. Looking back down in the trench, he saw Logan and Alex still eyeing Alex’s cross somberly. “Let’s go, the others will be waiting for us!” Aiden ordered, while still keeping a low tone in his voice. Alex huffed quietly as he stood up and lifted himself out of the trench like Aiden did, with Logan following.

Aiden pointed his rifle at the darkness and proceeded forward with caution. “Stay low, and stay alert...”

---

“I am...alive?”

“Yes, Aiden, you are alive; and you are safe.”

Aiden’s eyes snapped open to reveal a pure white landscape before him. Again, he found himself sitting in a metal chair, with that same man sitting across from him at the table. The man looked at him with a reassuring smile as Aiden pinched his left temple. Aiden winced as he assured himself that he was truly here in the same room he had dreamed of before.

Aiden looked up to meet the man’s face from across the table. “What about Tempest? And Night Step?” Aiden asked with a concerned voice. “Did they make it out alright?”

The man nodded slowly. “They are on their way back to Canterlot as we speak. It is a shame that the same can not be said for those griffins...” he sighed as he shook his head. Aiden looked down with a somber look. He could sympathize with those families whose fathers, sons, and brothers would not be coming home...

The man began to hum to himself softly. “It seems that your brother did quite a number on you as well...”

“Yeah, about that...” Aiden began as lifted his left hand up to examine it. He flexed the fingers as he held it in front of his eyes. “That...thing...I am its brother?”

The man nodded.

“And it had a name...it called itself the Vanguard?”

He nodded once again. “He is Vanguard, the Forerunner of the Reclamation.”

“And what you called me when we first met...” Aiden paused. “The Forerunner of the Equinox?”

Again, the man nodded as a smile creased along his lips. “I’m surprised that you remember, with all that’s been happening.” The two men shared a small fit of laughter before the younger one continued their conversation.

“So, where did I fall, exactly?” Aiden asked. “I remember it being the Everfree forest, but I think somepony found me.”

“Getting used to the Equestrian dialect, I see,” the man smirked. “Don’t worry, you were found by a young foal that has taken you into her home...and I believe you will meet some faces that you find familiar once you wake up...”

Aiden tilted his head. “Oh? More familiar faces?”

The man that Aiden had grown accustomed to nodded once again. “I think you’ll get along quite well...” he finished as Aiden felt that same sensation of being caught between sleep and awakeness come over him again.

---

Consciousness came swirling back to him. He was on a comfortable bed; not anywhere near as cozy as the one in his chamber back in the Royal Palace, but still quite nice. Aiden opened his eyes, only to be greeted by blinding sunlight. He groaned as he brought a hand up to shield his face. He positioned himself so that he was leaning his back against the head of the bed’s frame. He panned his gaze around the room he was in. He couldn’t shake this sense of vague familiarity that eventually came over him.

“I’ve been to this place before...” he thought to himself. Carefully, he brought his legs out from under the covers, and placed his feet on the carpet. The feeling of the soft material hitting his bare feet was something he was certain he would never feel again. “I still can’t believe I fell from that height and survived...”

Standing up proved to be a bit of a challenge in itself, but nothing he couldn’t handle. After a brief hiss of pain, Aiden was standing tall, with his left hand over his stomach. The majority of his clothes were still on, with the only exceptions being his two trench boots, which he saw in the corner of the room by the door. He made his way over to the window and pulled the curtains further to the side. Outside were several wooden buildings that resembled a medieval European village. Aiden immediately realized where he was.

“Ponyville...” he whispered as he watched ponies of all kinds walking down the street below the window, occasionally waving as they passed one another. “Someone found me; or rather somepony...” he quickly corrected himself. Judging by the position of Celestia’s sun in the sky, it was just before noon. He stretched his arms as he spoke to himself. “She must be worried sick...” he mused with a frown. Then again, Celestia probably knew of his fate; she was basically a goddess after all. Even so, he wanted to be quick to recover so that he could catch a train back to Canterlot.

Aiden sighed as he turned back towards the bedroom door. To his surprise, the door was opened slightly. Peeking back in at him with wide eyes, was a cream colored filly. This foal had no horn on her head, but he could not see the rest of her. She had a single hoof pressed against the edge of the door, and her pink and blue mane stopped just short of covering her eyes, which were a lighter shade of blue than her mane. For several seconds, the two of them simply stared at each other, the filly’s eyes seemingly growing wider with every passing second.

Aiden broke the silence. “Uh, hello?”

The filly seemed to calm down. She let her hoof drop to the ground as she inched her way further into the room. Suddenly she was whisked away by some outside force; she let out a barely audible yelp. Aiden could hear a feminine voice scolding the filly outside.

“Bon Bon! You don’t know how dangerous that thing could be!”

“But, Mom, he doesn’t even look that dangerous,” the filly tried to defend her actions. “You saw how helpless he looked when I brought you to him!”

“And I am proud of you for helping some...creature that you had no idea what it was, but that doesn’t disprove that it could still be dangerous. It came from the Everfree forest, after all.”

A brief period of silence followed before a male spoke: “I’m just hoping that it isn’t hurt too badly. The poor thing had a few broken bones and had some internal bleeding. I’m surprised we didn’t have to turn it over to the hospital or vet...”

Aiden proceeded to the half closed door from where the voices hid. They ceased their conversation when he was standing right in front of the door. Cautiously, Aiden placed a hand on the door’s edge and began pulling it open, less than an inch every few seconds. On the other side, were three Earth ponies; the filly from a few moments ago, whom had a cutie mark of three wrapped candies. The mare and stallion he recognized from when he first came to Equestria.

“Praline and Chikki...” Aiden thought as the three ponies stared back at him. He tried his hardest to hide the fact that he recognized them, not having the slightest idea of how they would react. “And the filly must be Bon Bon...”

An awkward silence followed for several moments before Aiden, as usual, broke the ice. “This is exactly why I hate these unhandy pauses...” He thought for a moment as he drew in a breath. “Hello...” he said in a drawn out tone.

The mare took a while to respond. “Hi...” The stallion merely gave this slow nod to acknowledge Aiden’s greeting. The filly looked up at Aiden with a look more of curiosity than of fear. She couldn’t have been any older than Lyra. Aiden managed to keep himself from panicking with the knowledge that she was perfectly safe in Canterlot.

Aiden shifted his focus back to the present, as the family of three that generously brought him into their home was probably hoping for an explanation. But first thing’s first: Aiden bowed his head in gratitude. “Thank you all for helping me. It must’ve been a tough decision to make, bringing some unknown creature into your home.” As Aiden lifted his head, he couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of the incredulous looks on their faces.

“I...It’s no trouble...” Chikki responded. “A-anypony else would’ve done the same thing, I’m sure.”

“No need to discredit yourself,” Aiden laughed, which was greeted by immediate pain in his stomach. “If not for you, there would be a good chance I wouldn’t be speaking right now...”

“You should thank Bon Bon, then,” Praline answered as he gave a weak smile to the filly who stood by his side. The cream colored foal noticeably blushed as she was referred to.

“I just did the right thing...” the filly smiled as she stared down at the floor, averting her gaze from the one she saved. Aiden looked down at her with a reassuring smile of his own.

“Even so, you have my thanks, Bon Bon,” he replied. “I owe you one.” The young man then turned his attention to his new friend’s parents. “I’m sure you must be wondering what I am...” The three Earth ponies looked back up at him, hoping for him to finish his sentence. He drew in a quick breath. “Well, my name is Aiden Marsh, and I’m a human.” His answer seemed to give relief to them. But Aiden couldn’t help but think that he was only partially correct: “At least I think I am...”

---

Praline and Chikki seemed to become much more hospitable within the following hours, giving Aiden a complete tour of Everfree Sweets: their business and home. Aiden already knew the majority of the layout of their home from when he and Lyra spent a night here, but there was no way he would tell them that he secretly broke into their home.

“Well, there you have it, Aiden!” Praline finished as the four of them ended their tour in the family room that was just behind the actual part of the building where they served their customers.

“It’s a very lovely home you three have,” Aiden complimented with a smile.

“Thanks,” Chikki replied. “We all try our best to keep it neat and tidy.” The Earth pony couple and their daughter sat comfortably on a couch while Aiden stood idly by.

“Feel free to take a seat, Aiden!” Praline encouraged. “Make yourself at home!” Aiden turned his glance to a rather small looking chair that was to the left of the couch. A stallion that was Praline’s size would be perfectly comfortable in a chair like that, but for a full grown human male like Aiden...

Bon Bon giggled in a heartwarming way as Aiden awkwardly seated himself in the chair that he just barely fit in. He smiled sheepishly back at his hosts as the parents joined their child in her laughter. “Smooth, Aiden...” he mentally scoffed at himself. “Well, at least they seem to like me...”

“So, Aiden,” Chikki began. “You know about us, care to tell us something about you?”

“Well,” Aiden replied. “My full name is Sergeant Aiden Marsh, and I’m twenty years old.”

“Where are you from?” Praline asked.

“I...” Aiden paused as he brought a hand to his chin. “Huh, in all honesty, I’m not sure anymore...”

“Whatever do you mean, dear?” Chikki asked. Aiden was moved inside that his hosts (one of them at least) was using a term of endearment with him.

“It’s a long story...” Aiden sighed. “A story that I’m getting tired of having to tell over and over again...” That thought did not stop him from doing so. He provided a fairly decent summary of his life, from his stepfather, to his time in the Network, to his arrival in Equestria, up until this point that only took about two minutes to tell.

“You never knew your real parents?” Praline asked as their ears flattened. Aiden breathed in and stood up; he just felt he looked too silly to be taken seriously from sitting in that little chair.

“You don’t need to worry yourselves about it,” Aiden frowned. “I’ve received more than enough sympathy for it.” He then forced a smile on his face. “Besides, my stepfather was a good man and I think I turned out perfectly fine. At any rate, when I got to Canterlot, I stayed out of sight of the citizens, but was captured by the Royal Guard. I was brought to Princess Celestia herself, but since I did not harm anypony she decided to keep me in the Palace and a secret from the public.” He paused and smiled with amusement. “Huh, I guess I’m not so much of a secret now, am I?”

As Praline took in what Aiden had just said, meeting with his country’s leader, he reassured him. “Don’t worry; Ponyville is pretty secluded from the other settlements and towns in Equestria. Plus, you were on the edge of the Forest, where not many ponies go. We managed to sneak you back here at night without anypony seeing.”

Aiden sighed with relief. “That’s good then, I don’t need the town chasing me with pitchforks and torches.”

“And don’t worry,” Chikki smiled. “We’ll be sure to keep you a secret from the other ponies; which means...” she looked down at Bon Bon with a smile. “No telling your friends at school, Bon Bon...”

The filly smiled back and nodded with her blue eyes closed. “I won’t, Mom!” She replied happily. Aiden smiled as he quietly took a more comfortable seat by the fireplace in his usual Native American style despite the pain in his abdomen speaking out in protest.

“How long was I unconscious?” Aiden suddenly asked.

“About three days,” Praline answered. “You looked pretty banged up when we first brought you in, but you seemed to have healed pretty quickly.” He shrugged. “You seem perfectly fine to me now. How do you feel?”

“A little pain in my stomach,” Aiden replied. “But I’ve been through worse.” He finished with a smile at his hosts. Looking out a nearby window, he noticed that the sun had set a long time ago. “It seems to be getting late...” he sighed. “You don’t mind if I stay with you guys for maybe a day or so, would you?” He could guess their answer.

“We'd be happy to help, Aiden!” Praline smiled. “Feel free to stay as long as you need.”

“You’re too kind,” Aiden grunted as he stood up, the pain in his stomach speaking out in protest once again. “Shut up,” Aiden mentally yelled at his abdomen. “I think I’ll turn in for the evening: the rest will do some good for my injuries.”

“Sure thing,” Chikki said as she left her seat on the couch. “Speaking of which; I believe tonight is a school night...” she looked over at Bon Bon. The filly nervously laughed.

“Go on, sweetie,” her father coaxed. The foal listened to her parents and proceeded on the way towards the stairs, happily humming all the way. Aiden smiled as he turned back to his hosts.

“I’ll head on up, too,” Aiden said. “I’ll see you both tomorrow, I guess,” he lifted a hand into the air as he gave them one last smile.

“Goodnight, Aiden,” Praline said as Chikki stepped into the kitchen.

Aiden stood by the edge of the steps, looking back over his shoulders. “Goodnight, guys...”

---

She visited his room for the second time today. Princess Celestia was informed of her dear friend, Aiden’s fate the day before. She was greatly distressed and guilt ridden for sending him to that place. Looking out the window to the sunset, her mind raced with the thoughts brought on by Night Step’s account of what had happened in Taotras. The griffins didn’t seem to be involved beyond wanting to defend their territory. Nevertheless, representatives from Gryphonia would want to speak with her on why one of their platoons went missing.

She cringed at that thought, for she absolutely despised the politics, but like her mother said, it’s just part of the task she’s been given. She smiled at remembering the days when she and Luna were taught by their parents on how to lead this country. She gazed out the window once again to see the moon floating above Canterlot, and she was certain she could feel her sister looking back at her.

Celestia shrugged the feeling off as she turned towards Aiden’s bed and noticed his mask and helmet sitting at the end of it. With a glowing aura surrounding it, the mask lifted up to her face for her to examine it. She sensed something powerful emerge from the gates of Taotras the day before Tempest Runner and Night Step returned. She sensed Aiden disappear with it only moments after it first appeared.

The Princess bit her lower lip as she looked out the window that overlooked the Palace and the rest of the city. She had tried multiple times to relocate Aiden, and each time she had failed; almost as though something were blocking her from sensing his presence. Tears well up in her bright pink eyes as she helplessly hopes for her friend’s safety.

She sighed as she laid the mask back on its resting place. She turned to leave, but before she did so, she whispered to herself. “It seems being helpless is a second talent of mine...”

Author’s Note: Just to clear things up; no this story is not a crossover with Fallout, or Metro 2033, or Halo, or anything else. Aiden, as well as all the human characters that appear in the flashbacks, and the human world in this story are all of my own creation.

Comments

[Dead_Page]

Another grand chapter, still confused as to where this is going but the small tidbits of information from time to time keep it interesting.

Keep up the good work.

[junkers1337]

I'm amazed that Aiden isn't a little more freaked out by the fact that he might not be all human. Although he did grow up in a post-apocalyptic world so he isn't lacking in nerves. Very curious to see how things develop as time goes by. Are there going to be any time jumps in later chapters?

[KingOfTheMuffins]

1518623

Psh, I wouldn't be that fazed if I learned I wasn't human. Now if I woke up as a pony? That would be a bit odd.

[batran]

"two centuries in the future" "wasteland"

seems like fallout

[MrZombert]

Consider yourself watched

[Khorne]

It DOES seem like a crossover between Fallout, Metro 2033 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

[Outcast98]

I love Fallout 3 and new vegas!

[Kitsuneisuki]

Makes the story even better since you didn't crossover.

[Luminous Lead]

Hah, you only NOW tell us it's not Fallout? :D

I found the intro a little cliched, and was worried this was going to be another lackluster HIE fic. I'm glad to see I was disappointed in that regard. The story really captures my attention. I'm glad to see that the mystery isn't being forced quickly- that the story is developed at it's own pace. I love a good mystery :D

[BioChemicalWolfGear]

Just so you know I find flashbacks boring and I tend to skip over them. Sorry if this bothers you but it's the truth.

I do however find the story itself interesting and it pains me to see it updating so slowly. But regardless I"ll continue reading because I love it.

[DeltaΔ]

1519119
F.A.L.L.O.U.T 2033?

[hiddenaccountfromgoogle]

1534333 I'd play it.

[KingOfTheMuffins]

1547441

Thanks. I know there are several groups out there that are capable of these feats, but the Green Berets are the primary ones people should think of.

[Flabbergasted]

In metro 2033 shit gets dark! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Sweetie_Belle.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Scootaloo.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/sillyfilly_Applebloom.png
Widdle kids are afraid of the dark. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png

[AccessDeniedLULZ]

Author’s Note: Just to clear things up; no this story is not a crossover with Fallout, or Metro 2033, or Halo, or anything else. Aiden, as well as all the human characters that appear in the flashbacks, and the human world in this story are all of my own creation.

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