Long Far Gone

by A-P-A

Chapter 18: Exclusion zone

Deck C-2, Long Far Gone, Equis orbit. 7:04am 01/06/1000 AN

*CRACK* *RUMBLE*

The normally quiet service tunnels shook and quaked as the mighty vessel continued it's descent towards the planet. Plumes of steam from ruptured pipes and dispersal systems filled the access corridors with a ghostly fog that rolled over the streamlined covenant panels. It was also dark, really dark. What little lighting there was in the dim hallways had vanished along with the ships power supply, and the only illumination available came from the occasional spark of plasma, and the long blue ethereal tail that wafted through the vents behind it's owner.

Nightmare Moon showed little concern for the Supercarriers current trajectory, and she found the darkness rather pleasing. It only made her task easier. She needed to get off this ship, and so far, was having little luck. She could not infiltrate those treacherous drones, for she knew their minds were interconnected on a scale that would make even a Changling queen soil herself. If she was too alert one, she would get the attention of all. She had to find another form before she was discovered, and right now she would settle for just about anything.

*RUMBLE*

She was running out of time. In the distance, Nightmare began to make out what looked like a fork. Two pathways, one leading left, one leading right. Something drew her to the right, something incredibly powerful and dark. It wasn't a feeling she was used too, but it was inviting... Maybe whatever was down there held a ticket off this doomed ship. She began to drift down the tunnel at a leisurely pace, failing to acknowledge the scorch marks on the door console. After a short moment, the tight corridor opened up to a much larger room. It was equally as dark, but Nightmare had no issue perceiving what lay out of sight. Up ahead, something caught her eye. Shards of shattered glass covered the plated floor, and a ring of burning purple residue shined in comparison to the gloom. Even in her metaphysical form, she could feel the heat radiating from the blast. At the rings centre, lay an object. It looked like it was once a helmet, she didn't really care too much.

However, the explosive residue was fresh, which meant the perpetrator was still nearby. Perfect. With renewed hope, she continued into the dark. More of those purple rings were appearing, covering the approaching wall like blisters. One particular spot looked as though it had been focused, and the bent and twisted metal gave way to a room on the other side. The hole was large enough for her equine form to walk though, but she assumed a gaseous state anyway, hoping to surprise whoever lay beyond. No such luck, perhaps the suspect had moved on.

She was about to turn and leave when she noticed something floating in a display. It looked like one of the drones, there leader, but it was cracked and broken. The burns that covered its surface were not new, in fact the looked to be millennia old. A sudden idea come to mind, and the grinning mare approached the sphere like device. She probed it with a tendril, and sure enough it flickered on. Nightmare had found her vessel. It was a tight fit, but just enough of the original systems remained operable for it to function. Of course most of the more advanced roles would have to be filled by magic, but at least now she was undetectable.

*Bang*

Nightmare Moon turned to the source of the noise, her new spherical body following her command. Shakily, she manipulated the damaged thrusters to push her out of the display, and towards her new target. She rounded a corner, and was met with a rather unusual sight.

"Well... Looks like that thing is awake." She whispered to herself.

Sure enough, the glowing purple eyeball that had the monkey so enamoured was present, and it didn't seem to be doing much. An aura of pink gas leaked from it, giving it a rather ghostly look. It's single unblinking eye was fixated on a pair of pillars near the rear of the cell. Oddly enough the glass chambers on top were illuminated. Did they run on an alternate power source? Or was this thing powering them on it's own...

Nightmare slowly retreated out of the chamber, attempting to leave unnoticed.

"Beautiful, isn't it..."

That voice... She swore she recognised it.

"How something so small, so weak, could bring an entire empire to it's knees."

The machine spoke with a feminine tounge, one cut with malice and hate. She could feel the pure rage that came with every venom fueled syllable.

"I used to fear them, hate them. But now I only admire them... Much like I admire you... Nightmare Moon."

Moon felt a cold chill run through her soulless body.

"How do you know my name machine? Am I that famous?"

"No... You are more than that, at least to me. When I look at you, what you've become, I do not see the bringer of eternal night. In fact, I do not see you as a single thing at all. You are a mere shadow of countless millions of dead heros, lost villains and 'valiant' leaders. And yet you still bring panic and fear to all those who cross your path. Admirable indeed..."

"Flattery will get you nowhere creature, but I suppose you are correct in that assumption. However that doesn't answer the question. How does something so alien, know about the dead legend of a long forgotten race?"

The sphere turned to face her, and she could finally see it 'face to face'.

"Because I know many things... And I've been watching this world for a very long time. I have seen rulers rise and fall, wars play out, kingdoms overthrown. From afar I have observed their culture and witnessed them achieve nothing, while those who created me blossomed. I suppose in that respect I could call you family..."

"How so?"

"We are both constructs, one of mind, one of magic, who have been created from the embers of others. Both designed to fill a purpose. Your precious lunar princess commissioned you to wage a war in her favour, did she not?"

"She is not precious to me! She is weak and foolish."

An unnerving chuckle slipped from a hidden mouth.

"We all believe that, for a time... I was designed for a similar purpose, to win a war against an enemy that could not be reasoned with, by those who refused see reason. Rather comical if you ask me."

Nothing in her tone of voice suggested it was even the slightest bit humorous.

"So, you wish for revenge?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I do not question the motives of those who betrayed me, looking back the plan I had developed was almost as convoluted and ridiculous as an eternal night."

Nightmare scowled at that, not that her new form was capable of showing it.

"But regardless of the way they treated me, they are not who I wish to feel my vengeance. They may have thwarted my plans more than once, but thanks to your princess and her childish desires, the only thing I have left to remember them is one stubborn hunter and you.

"So you are who I presumed."

The machines central ring flickered for a moment, turning a deep shade of crimson.

"I am. And I have come to repay these inferior drones in kind for the pain they caused me. Unfortunately I now seem to have obtained a witness, and one that has already given so much up... So I'll give you a choice. You can leave this world, discard the majority of your already drained power, and seek refuge elsewhere... But when my forces arrive, and they will, I better not find you here. The last thing I need is another distraction. Do I make myself clear?"

"And if I refuse?"

Not a single joule of energy in her ethereal body was planning on remaining here, but asking that question allowed Nightmare regain a little dignity. An evil purple eye narrowed in her direction.

"Then you will burn along with them, and I will use the energy from your husk of a body to power my armies. It will be painful, and you will take an eternity to die, and I will watch you scream for mercy for centuries after this planet is but ash. You have been warned Moon, do not let blind arrogance be the death of you. Do not go to the same place as the previous owner of that shell."

Nightmare Moon no longer gave a damn about dignity, and booked it out of there as fast as her damaged drive core could take her. Cortana just smiled inwardly, that was one less issue for her to deal with. She turned her attention back to the pillars, and their occupants.

*CRACK* *RUMBLE*

The viscous liquid that held her prize slopped dangerously as the ship drifted towards the planet. She was lucky the infection form was even still alive. The ships rapid power loss had turned off what little life support the strange solution provided. Luckily she had both the experience and tools fix that. Carefully, she approached the foggy silver capsule, gazing fondly at the decrepit creature within.

"Yes... Beautiful. Perhaps one this is all over, I can teach your descendants what a true hive looks like..."

Though it made no sound, she could tell the parasite was listening. She could feel it's thoughts, it's memories. It's hate.

"Yes... But until then, I have work to do."

Drifting backwards, the servitor gave a final flat chuckle, before speeding away from the accursed chamber.

Mathew's POV

There were few words in the English language that could properly describe the way Mathew felt right now. Here he was, in one of the lowest and most disused parts of the ship, staring at what had to be the largest joke ever pulled by one creature to another.

"You've got to be fucking me, there's no way I'm going down there in that."

"I'm sorry reclaimer, but it's the only way."

"And how in the hell do you expect me to slow this bitch down? I may be without death, but that doesn't mean it's overly pleasant!"

"I had an aggressor unit rig the rocket boosters to this switch." Exuberant lifted a rather rudimentary looking button out of the purple death trap that was to be the humans transport.

"Click this, and all three of the stabilisers will go off at once, and the drag flaps will extend. You'll have to time it right though, and without the HUD your ghost will probably need to tell you when."

Great, just great.

"You know, humans in the past used to use these all the time! It was a very efficient way of deploying troops to the battlefield."

"Yeah well I bet they had power! And weren't dropping into god knows what!"

"While that may be true, they did not possess the ability to self resurrect when they pleased. You don't mean to tell me that your kind has gone soft..."

Was that a challenge? The look Exuberant was giving you spoke lengths about what she was trying to accomplish. It was indeed a challenge.

"Fucking fine, I'll take your orbital drop death trap, but just so you know, if I end up a glossy white puddle down there-"

"Then no one will notice because you'll blend into the snow, now hurry reclaimer, we are out of time."

Mathew uneasily climbed into the drop pod, taking care not to bump his head on the shallow roof. It shook precariously in it's lock, causing the guardian to flinch. The lack of Gravity was making it exceedingly difficult to strap himself in.

"Now, when you get down there, you are going to want to remain out of sight. I've detected foreign troop movements all around the structure. They will not be much of a threat, but I take it full scale war isn't on your to do list."

"For once..." Muttered the hunter, adjusting himself in the uncomfortable seat.

*RUMBLE*

"I wish you the best of lu-"

The monitor froze mid sentence, and began to scrutinise something above them with extreme interest.

"Uh, Exuberant... You there?"

"What? Yes, sorry. I was just made aware that the gravity generator on deck C-2 was re-activated."

"Isn't that a good thing? Maybe we're regaining power?"

"It would be... If one of my Sentinels was responsible."

*CRACK*

Ghost appeared out of nowhere in response to the creaking of the hull.

"May I remind you two that the ship is crashing!"

"Y-yes, of course. Reclaimer, I wish you the best of luck, I'll be available on comms while you remain outside the facility, but once you enter, you're on your own."

"Understood."

Mathew reached up and pulled the pod door down, sealing himself inside. The ship shook again, but the air tight walls muffled much of the sound.

"Oh reclaimer! One last thing!"

"WHAT?!"

"The temperature regulators inside the pod run on electrical power, so there's a small chance that the the explosive bolts may detonate during insertion. But other than that you're good too go."

"Wait what? Exuberant? EXUBERANT YOU BEACH BALL LOOKING FUCK! WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"You'll be fine, now hold on to something reclaimer, and mind the bump."

"What bum-"

Mathew was cut off as a tremendous force pushed him downwards. If it weren't for the straps holding him to seat, he probably would have been pinned to the ceiling. The sound of matter speeding past him at blinding speeds funnelled impossibly through the air tight seals, drowning out many of his racing thoughts. Then suddenly, there was silence.

"We appear to have left the ship..."

Ghost floated inside the capsule, spinning Idly.

"So we're in open space?"

"Yes, and we should be hitting the atmosphere right about... Now."

Nothing changed within the pod, but Mathew began to feel heavier. The outer walls rattled as the thin upper atmosphere passed by at a tremendous velocity.

"The reentry process is beginning, it may get a little hot in here."

Mathew felt is hunter body skin begin to artificially cool him down, but it was struggling against a rapidly rising room temperature. His helmet counted off the degrees as the pod reached boiling point.

"We're doing well so far!" Yelled ghost, forcing his voice above the roaring flames outside.

"Another two or three minutes and it we will be out of this mess!"

Mathew panicked as the pod door began to glow slightly red.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's meant to do that!"

The advanced alloys specifically designed to resist heat were lighting up like cheap Dawning lanterns.

"Eh, I'm sure that's normal too-"

*BANG*

One of hatches bolts blew out, and took a large portion of protective covering with it. The pod was blasted to the side, spinning uncontrollably. Mathew was thrown against the straps as the lifeless can flailed around. The wind roared, and Mathew raised his hand up to his helmet, silencing the noise.

"Hang on, I'll see of I can divert some power to the gyroscope!"

A strange sensation over came him, and a small tendril of void light escaped his palm. It fed it's way into one of the fractured panels, and a broken holodisplay sprung to life.

"I've almost got it..."

The display was fading fast, but in as stroke of luck the gyroscope whirred to life, and the pod righted itself.

"Fire the boosters! Now!"

Mathew slammed is palm on the button, and the pod began to decelerate fast. The tips of snowy white mountains could be seen out of the cracked canopy, and they were approaching at an alarming speed.

"I don't think we're gonna stop!"

On cue, the engines cut out, signalling the end of the fuel supply.

"I think you might be right guardian! Brace for impact!"

There was a few tense seconds before an impact sent the pod tumbling. Shards of metal and glass bounced off the hunters visor as the orbital vehicle crashed down a slope, uprooting trees and smashing rocks. Snow filled the capsule, covering Mathew in a white film. After a few more seconds of bouncing, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop, the metal to his compressing inwards.

"Ow... Ghost, where are we?"

"I cannot pinpoint exactly, but I don't think we dropped too far away from the original landing site."

Mathew struggled against the straps that were holding him in place. The material was strong, obviously designed to stop him from flying out the pod on impact, which was proving to be a hindrance. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out his combat knife, which still retained it's hunter insignia. With a few quick slashes, the belts began to fall away, leaving only the damaged pod door in his way. His ghost inspected it with a critical eye.

"I'll see if there's a way for me to get past this..."

His thoughts were stopped as a plated boot slammed into the purple surface, buckling the alloy surface.

"Or you could just do... That..."

Mathew repeatedly kicked the door, rupturing it further outwards. After a few short moments, the remaining bolts triggered, launching the battered husk into the air like a polythene bag in the wind. It landed close by as the bedraggled guardian scrambled out of the pod.

"Could we possibly make any more noise?" Complained ghost, floating over his head.

At that moment, the rock that had been supporting the vehicle cracked under it's weight, giving way to the massive drop on the other side. With a groan the pod tilted backwards, and Mathew gave a panicked leap towards the cliff edge. His frozen fingers found purchase on the snow covered bank, and the rest of the pod fell down into the valley below, impacting the ground with a dull thud and a puff of pink smoke.

"Huh, I guess so..."

Using what little energy was left in his tired arms, the Mathew pulled himself up the ledge. Removing his helmet, he spread out in the fresh snow and proceeded to breath heavily.

"I swear this is the second time that ship has made me consider vertigo a death sentence."

"Indeed, but at least we're here."

That they were, but where was here?

"Gimme a sitrep."

"It looks like we've drifted a few klicks away from the original insertion point."

"Define a few."

"Four, nothing major, but it does set us back a bit."

Mathew sat up and took his first real look around. They had landed somewhere on the side of a mountain, that much was obvious, but as for where they were headed? He had no clue.

"Can you patch the coordinates through to my hud?"

"Already done."

The hunter slipped his helmet back on and stood up, taking notice of the grey and white diamond that signalled their destination. It was in a valley to the east, a long way below them.

"Well that's far... How are we going to get down there without a ship?"

"I am... Unsure. Perhaps there is a path we could take?"

There didn't seem to be. Whatever mountain they were on, it wasn't well tred. Speaking of exploration, Mathew could definitely see what appeared to be camps set up around the valley below. They consisted mostly of tan tents, with the occasional spent fire burning in a pit. There was movement down there, so the station was undoubtedly inhabited.

"Mathew... You're going to want to see this..."

He increased the magnification on his helmet, straining his eyes at the crude fort.

"That's... Oh. Oh for fucks sake."

Dig site alpha, Shiverstone pass, Griffus. 7:25 am. 01/06/1000 AN

Captain Sliver Beak was not a happy chick. He wanted progress, progress to please his gods and his king, progress which was sorely lacking.

"What do you mean it won't open!"

"T-that's it sir, it won't budge. The entrance has sealed shut."

"Move out of my way!"

Beak pushed his snivelling underling aside as he strode too the holy structures entrance. All had been going well, they had managed to access many of the upper levels of the hallowed ground, and he was pleased with their efforts. Then that ship arrived. He had heard about it in a briefing from the king. The foul ape that had 'graced' their world with it's presence was now considered an enemy of Griffus. At first not much changed. Then setback after setback, loss after loss. The ship had obviously triggered a response from the holy relic, like it was trying to protect itself from falling into those disgusting claws. More of those 'things' were showing up. They razed entire scouting parties to the ground in mere seconds, liquifying the bodies into clouds of orange dust.

That remained an issue, along with the newest edition to his list of grievances. A short while ago all of their telecommunication devices inexplicably burst into flames, leaving them without backup. They'd also lost all of their lights and electrical equipment. He had swiftly come to the conclusion that the equestrians were behind it. After all, it was only in their nature to go after the superior might of the Griffon army in such a cowardly way. It mattered little, once they were able to access the oracle, all would bow before them.

They had caught glimpses of a machine, deep within the sacred cradle, a machine that could tell the future! It spoke to them of great weapons, power beyond their imagining. If they were to wield it, then all of Equis would be under their control!

The captain continued his musings of everlasting power until he stood face to face with a group of nervous scouts. Behind them was the grand entrance, a great silver door towering over the camp.

"Report! Now!"

A larger Griffon, his feathers a deep brown colour, stepped forward.

"Sir, the entrance to the sacred structure has sealed! We cannot reopen it, and the glyphs on the doorway have changed. We cannot hope to understand their meaning without the oracles guidance."

Silver Beak narrowed his predatory eyes at the new symbols. They were abstract, unique. It must be another test to prove his worth.

"Record these, and as soon as we get communications I want them sent too Griffonstone, am I clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good, now begin. The sooner we get these doors open the soon we can continue our quest."

He left the scouting crew go their business, watching as they began to scribble out and compare the strange but beautiful symbols. One in particular caught his eye. It was round, with a smaller circle dominating the upper half. He was no linguist, but it was certainly a unique form of writing. The Griffonstone scholars had managed to crack the code surrounding these glyphs. They were not letters, but rather phrases. Each conveyed it's own unique message, ranging from single words to entire paragraphs. The sacred oracle had shown them the way, and they had been able to uncover many of the inscripted secrets.

"Actually, is anyone here familiar with the holy text?"

One of the more plucky soldiers raised his talon. He was a small, unassuming bird, with a fidgety and scared expression.

"Y-yes sir, I studied a few of them while in training..."

"And do you think you'd be able to translate this?"

"M-maybe, it's not a particularly complex one..."

The scout ran his claws over the door, pointing at different parts of the shape, mentally adding up what he knew. After a short while, Silver raised his voice.

"Well? What does it say?"

"I-I'm not entirely sure, it may not be complex, but it's rather unique. Like it was written to serve a singular purpose. The best I can get out of it is 'inheritance'... No, wait, 'reclaim' makes more sense."

"Reclaim?"

"As I said I'm not entirely sure..."

Beak snorted, but made note of the scouts competence.

"It was a valid effort, I cannot fault you for that. Perhaps the eggheads back at the academy will make more sense of it. Be about you're work."

Once again he turned to leave, stalking back across the camp towards the command tent. Inside was a simple desk with a wooden chair positioned behind it, perfect for filling out the hordes of paperwork he was presented with on a regular basis. Currently a large map was spread out on the oak furnishing. On it was marked the locations of all of the recent attacks, along the supply lines that were effected. If he had it his way all of their supplies would be delivered by airship, but the council wouldn't run the risk of an impact with the surrounding mountains. Such were the joys of politics. He was about to continue with his cartography when a pair of wheezing sentries stumbled into his 'office'.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"S-sir, we saw... Something."

They looked as though they had been flying for miles, not that he gave a damn.

"What sort of something?!"

"I don't know what it was for certain, it fell out of the sky!"

"Was it a pegasus?"

"N-no..."

"A dragon?"

"I don't think so..."

Silver smashed his claw down on the desk, scattering the troop markers he had placed all over the map.

"THEN WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SEE SOLDIER! I have no time for the idle day dreams of underperforming grunts like yourselves, so unless you can describe to me exactly what it was that you saw, then you can make yourselves scarce!"

"I-it was purple! And had blue fire coming out of the bottom! It crashed into the side of Shiverstone mountain and disappeared!"

Purple... Why did that set off so many alarm bells? What did he know that falls out of the sky, and was commonly associated with the colours purple and blue? Then, a certain something came to him.

"Lock this base down, nothing gets in or out. Nothing!"

"Y-yes sir, right away!"

They turned tail and sprinted out the tent, armour clattering with every bound. As the alarm bells began to toll, Silver took a look out of the tent skylight, up towards the looming mountain.

"You're playing a dangerous game Celestia, one that you cannot hope to win. Though it would be fun to watch you try..."

Author's Note:

And that's another one down, whoopee. I'm sorry about the lack of notification for the last chapter, turns out I accidentally uploaded it when it was half finished in April, so chances are many of you will be getting a double upload.

In terms of grammar stuff, there might be a few errors, feel free to leave a comment or even pm me if they're to plentiful for the comment section. I've been without my laptop for a while now, do editing is rather hard when all you've got is a slow as fuck tablet. Anywho, I hope you at least enjoy this, because it signals the part of the story where things actually start to become somewhat interesting, and I've been looking forward to writing it for a while.

See you all in the next chapter

~A-P-A

Comments

[Black Jack]

Damn the story is dead,the author is dead,and the comment section is dead....everything is dead

DEATH TO EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE!!HUZZAH!!

[EchoTheFloof]

8346625
I believe he is still writing this. The last time I spoke with him he made it clear to me that he takes a long time to write. If you enjoy the story, give him time. I'm sure you will recieve a chapter eventually

[A-P-A]

8346625 8347173
I-I'm not dead... Just hibernating... I honestly forgot people actually cared about this thing, given its hundreds of glaring faults, but of the demand is there then I will start LFG back up again...

[Black Jack]

8355002
Yay:)

[BadTouch]

Weite, weitefag, weite!
So thanks for that.

[A-P-A]

11140258
Don't reply to this story you gremlin, it's forbidden