Chapter 3
The shovel dug into the ground, upheaving the dirt with every grunt of exertion from its user. Sol’s physical abilities may have been enhanced beyond normal human limits, but every strike from his shovel felt heavy, each more so than the last. It was a feeling he was familiar with however. Burying the innocent wasn’t a foreign activity to him.
It may have been better to organise a proper service for Steel’s mother with whatever pony settlement was nearby, but Sol knew that funerals weren’t for the dead. They were for the living. And right now, Steel desperately needed to grieve, and even a makeshift funeral would help with that.
Giving himself a momentary break, Sol looked over his shoulder at the colt. He was sitting on a tree stump, his gaze pointed at the ground. Tears matted his coat, but he had passed crying. Just silence, with little movement. Sol recognised this all too well, having seen it not just in his comrades, but in the mirror as well.
Sol returned back to his morbid work, and before long there was a suitably deep and wide hole. Leaving the shovel, he moved inside the house, where Steel’s mother rested. Picking up the body, he moved her to a table which already had what he needed. The body was not pretty, having been torn apart by the wolves. Picking up the cloth he had gathered from various items around the house, he began covering her in it. When the body was covered to the point where Steel wouldn’t have another breakdown by looking upon it, he carried her outside.
Laying the body in the grave, he called Steel over. Looking over to the sad colt, he spoke in a soft voice. “Do you have any words?”
Giving a nod, Steel looked up at Sol before returning his sight towards his mother. “Mum… I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can…I love you. I-I’m so sorry… for- for running out like that. I miss you.” He was trying his best to appear strong, but tears were beginning to well up in his eyes.
Sol then spoke next. “I didn’t know you. So I guess I don’t know much of your character. But what I do know is that you raised a good kid, so that has to count for something. From what I’ve seen, you were a good person. Now, rest in peace.” Picking the shovel back up, he moved all the dirt he had dug up back into the grave, covering the deceased.
Looking back to Steel, he saw that the colt was still trying to not cry. “Hey, it’s ok to cry,” he rested a hand on Steel’s back, “Let it out.”
And so the colt began to cry once more, tears flowing from his eyes like a tsunami.
****
It had been a couple hours since the funeral, and Steel was inside the house resting. It was still daytime, but recent events had tired the young colt out. Sol was outside, wandering the clearing.
Poor boy...colt. Losing his mother so young, and so violently at that. At least I didn’t have to see Grace’s body.
Stopping at the same tree stump Steel occupied before, Sol sat down, hands in his lap.
Now he’s my responsibility...fuck. I like him, and I’m gonna do my best, but at the same time…I can’t look after him, not when I still need to find her...
Looking into the sky, he could feel tears fall down his face.
Where are you Beck?
Wiping the tears from his eyes, he got up and walked towards the treeline. Looking outwards into the forest, he saw another of those statuettes. Picking it up, he gave it a lookover.
When Steel said they were enchanted I didn’t believe him. But now that I’ve gotten a closer look at those wolves, and the way they reform themselves...maybe it isn't bullshit. But if it really was magic, and the animals stayed away, then it wasn’t the wolves that destroyed it. And since this one also has its horn snapped off then something deliberately targeted them, knowing what they did, Sol felt a chill throughout his body as he came to one conclusion, Someone is out there, and they want Steel dead.
Dropping the statuette to the ground, he sprinted back towards the house. Busting through the doors, he used his Jump Kit to double jump up the stairs and slide along the floor when he landed, the Jump Kit flaring to propel him along. Reaching the door to Steel’s room, he almost knocked it off its hinges when he barreled into it. Looking around, he only found a rather startled Steel in his bed.
Giving a sigh of relief, Sol sheathed the data-knife he had drawn without realising. “We can’t stay here.”
Steel’s face contorted in confusion. “Whaddya mean?”
“Just meet me downstairs okay? I’ll explain later.” Turning back, he exited the room and went downstairs.
He began to gather supplies from around the house, not wanting to eat another tube of nutrient paste. As he was doing this, every sound, no matter how quiet, gave him a fright.
He was looking out the window when Steel came down the stairs. “I knew we’d have to leave eventually, but why are you in such a hurry?”
Giving one scan of the outside Sol turned back to face him. “Remember those statuettes?’ Sol got a nod in response, “Well where I come from, we don’t have magic. So when you said those statues were enchanted, I didn’t believe you. But after seeing the way those wolves-”
“Timberwolves.”
“After seeing those timberwolves reform, I think that magic might be real, at least on this planet.”
Steel’s eyes widened upon hearing Sol’s slip. “‘This planet!’ Do you mean you’re an alien?! What planet do you come fr-” He was silenced by a hand on his muzzle.
“While I’m glad to see you’re back to your usual self, I just need you to listen for now,” Steel looked like he was about to start ranting again, before he took a deep breath and motioned for Sol to continue, “Thank you. So if those statues did prevent ‘mean animals’, as you put it, from getting close then something intelligent had to break it. And it wasn’t some freak accident either, as I found another statue that also had its horn broken off.”
Fear, as well as no small amount of anger, was now evident on Steel’s face. “Then my mum was murdered...”
“And they might still be nearby.”
The fear on Steel’s face was gone now, as it was completely consumed by anger. There were however some tears once again forming. “Then we’ve gotta find them! Bring them to justice! For mu-mum!” Steel’s angry features were beginning to slip as his eyes began to grow watery.
“Revenge is a fool’s game Steel. I will not put you at risk to find your mother’s murderer. What we need to do is get you somewhere safe.”
“NO!” Sol was taken back when the little colt yelled loud enough to make his drill instructor proud, “We need to find them! I-I need to find th-them!” His voice was beginning to lower as his watery eyes opened like a dam, tears spilling down.
Pulling him in close, Sol lowered his voice to a soothing, quiet tone. “Trust me when I say this Steel. I will find whoever killed your mother, and I will bring them to justice. Either this land’s, or my own. But right now, I owe it to both your mother and you to keep you safe. And pursuing our culprit will not keep you safe.”
Pulling out of his grip, Steel looked to Sol and then himself. “Okay... we’ll leave.”
Sol smiled and walked over to the bag he’d found in the storage cupboard. Hefting it onto his back, he was surprised just how heavy the supplies were. Nodding towards Steel, they left the house.
Once outside, Sol just realised there was one little problem with his plan.
“I have no idea where to go,” He looked to his short companion, “You?”
Steel rolled his eyes. “Of course I know where to go, I live around here remember? The closest place is Canterlot. I think it’s East of us,” He then pointed in four directions, whispering as he did, “Never eat soggy wheat… Yep! It’s East! Follow me!” The colt began moving in what Sol assumed was East.
Can’t really tell since that Sun only ever seems to move during the morning and at night.
Following behind as they moved into the forest, Sol kept his right hand firmly on his B3 in its holster. “So what’s this Canterlot place like?”
Steel explained as Sol dodged under a branch the diminutive foal just walked under. “Oh it’s really cool! It’s built into the side of a mountain, I’m not really sure how it stays up. Probably a spell one of the Princesses cast when it was founded.”
Sol raised an eyebrow at that. Or he tried to at least, he always ended up raising both. “‘Princesses’? You guys have got a Royal family?”
“Yep! Although the family isn’t that big. We’ve had the same Princesses in charge since Equestria was founded.”
Hearing that, Sol was bewildered to say the least. “So are they immortal or do Ponies live that long and you are actually my elder?”
Steel gave off a little laugh. “No you silly billy, I’m only 10. But yeah, the Princesses are immortal. They also raise the Sun and the Moon!”
Sol’s face then resembled that of a goldfish. That can’t be real… there’s no way... although that would explain why they move so quickly and so suddenly. Luckily Steel was looking ahead and didn’t see Sol’s rather embarrassing display.
“Can we talk about you being an alien now?” Sol was brought out of his thoughts by the colt’s question.
“Uh, sure.”
“So where do you come from? If that question is okay with you that is.” Steel obviously remembered the last time he asked this question.
“Yeah I guess I’ve gotta tell you now, you deserve that much. So before we get into me, I’ve got to clarify one thing about humans. We originated on the planet Earth, but we have developed technology that allows us to travel to other worlds.” Looking at Steel, the colt’s face was awestruck, “Back to me, I grew up on the planet Harmony, one of the finest planets in the Frontier. My family came from Earth when Harmony was first settled, got there with one of the settling programs that departed from the Australian continent. They stayed in an area of Harmony where all those Australian settlers were placed, resulting in my silky fine accent.”
“I wouldn’t exactly describe your accent as ‘silky’.”
Intentionally putting on a stereotypical Australian accent, he acted offended. “What do ya mean mate? My voice is as fucking silky as a the taste of a VB longneck at twenty to eight in the fucking morning!”
“The Tartarus was that?!”
Sol smiled as he remembered that old 21st Century video he’d found on the extranet. “An icon.”
Steel looked at him as if he was a mental case. “Uh huh. Anyway, I’m guessing from your armour and your weapons that you were some kind of soldier?”
Sol nodded in response. “Ya got it right. Proud Titan Pilot of the Militia Special Recon Squadron! ‘United we stand! Divided we ambush!’”
“What does ‘Titan Pilot’ mean?”
“It means I control a...giant metal vehicle...in the shape of a human. Although that is massively simplifying it. And I don’t really control my Titan, Beck is her name, it’s more fifty fifty.”
“And where is Beck?”
Sol stared absently into the distance, as if looking through Steel. “I...don’t know. I was on a mission with her, dealing with some enemy soldiers, when everything went black. When I woke up, I was on a hill like I said before. I know she’s on this planet. I can still feel her.”
“What do you mean by ‘feel her’?”
“It’s hard to explain to someone who isn't a Pilot. My mind is linked to her’s, like each is one half of a whole. Using this link, I can feel she’s on this planet. I can’t tell where she is though,” Sol looked as if he was about to cry, “I’m worried about her. I know she is very powerful, but she isn’t invincible.”
Steel now seemed rather nervous to continue his questioning, not wanting to cross a line. “So is that what you were doing before you found me? Searching for her?”
“Yeah. Well really I was trying to find some kind of civilization, maybe try to get some help from the locals. Didn’t expect the locals to be quadrupedal aliens though.”
Steel seemed to bounce with excitement as he seemed to realise something. “Wait! I know just who can help you!”
Sol’s eyes widened, desperate for any help with finding his lost partner. “Who?!”
“The Princesses!” Hearing this, Sol’s features instantly deflated.
“Steel, I appreciate the help, but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be pretty hard to get an audience with the Princesses.” He was reminded of several times when he tried to get into contact with his commanding officers, only to be either outright refused or politely turned down.
“Just hear me out!” Steel looked back at Sol with his eyes wide, pleading.
Oh god, it’s my fucking Krytonite: Cuteness. “Alright, explain.”
Steel gave a big smile upon hearing Sol’s permission. “Well the two Princesses are Princess Celestia, Princess of the Sun, and Princess Luna, Princess of the Moon. There’s also Princesses Twilight and Cadance, but they aren’t a part of my plan.”
A corner of Sol’s mouth raised in amusement. “‘Plan’? Got a little schemer here eh? Might start calling you the blood-brother of Odin then eh?”
Steel looked at him as if he had grown a second head. “What?”
Sol waved his hand in dismissal. “Never mind, just a little human mythology reference.”
Shaking his head in disbelief at Sol’s antics, Steel continued. “Celestia holds Day Court during the day, and Luna holds Night Court during the night. Both hold them in the Royal Palace in Canterlot. I’m pretty sure the specific hours change depending on whatever is happening in Equestria, but it shouldn’t be too hard to ask somepony the hours. The Courts allow anypony to ask requests of the Princesses.”
Sol was beginning to catch on. “So if we were to attend a Court session…”
“Then you can ask whatever Princess is there for help finding Beck!”
And to help you Steel. “That’s...actually a good idea. We’re already on the way there, what have we got to lose?”
****
My fucking legs apparently.
The pair had been walking for many, many hours, most of it with Steel on Sol’s back, head resting on his shoulder. It was currently night time, and Sol found himself at the gates of Canterlot. He’d originally thought getting up the mountain would require another day of walking, even on a path. But upon reaching the base of the mountain, Steel pointed out what Sol could only describe as a magic elevator. The contraption had levitated itself all the way to Canterlot, leaving Sol completely dumbstruck.
When he walked through the gates, he was surprised to find that the guards didn’t stop him. They did stare at him, as he was admittedly a strange sight, but other than that he passed through unmolested.
As he passed through the streets, he found that it was still fairly busy despite the time, it was still a city after all. Here he got his first look at the other types of ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi. Steel told Sol their names, but he already guessed what they’d be. He did tell Sol that Steel himself was an Earth pony, which he wouldn’t have guessed. All of the ponies gave him wary looks, and he tried to ignore them. He was never a fan of being the centre of attention.
Eventually he found himself at the entrance to the Royal Palace, where he was approached by a Pegasus guard. “Hello sir, and foal, what is your business here?”
He maintains his professionalism despite the strange creature in front him. Good lad.
“I would like to attend Princess Luna’s Night Court...assuming it’s still in session that is,” Sol added quickly.
The guard nodded. “Aye, it is. Please follow me.”
Sol followed the guard as he was led through the gardens and into the palace itself. Now that he was right next to an adult Pony, he was able to compare their heights. He was about two heads taller than the guard, who was a bit taller then others he’d seen. Amidst the equines, Sol was practically a giant.
Walking through the palace was a treat, the whole place was like a work of art. No palace he’d ever seen on the extranet could compare to it. The white marble and gold shone brilliantly in the light given off by what Sol assumed to be magical torches, given their brightness. The mosaics detailing events in Equestria’s history outclassed any such works he’s seen. He took a particular interest in what seemed to be a recent one where six ponies blasted a black pony with horns and wings with a rainbow. Looks like something Dylan would come up with.
Before long the guard stopped in front of a rather imposing set of doors. “The throne room.”
Sol pulled Steel off his back and put him on the ground. “Sorry Steel, gotta look presentable.”
Steel shrugged. “I don’t mind, I was about to suggest it myself.”
With that, the guards opened the doors.
****
Yet again, Night Court had been a bore for Princess Luna. She currently found herself sitting on her throne trying to look presentable as she counted down the time till she was free.
Oh Creator how I hate this duty. All the ponies go to Celestia’s Day Court anyway.
She looked towards one of her guards, Ruby Moonlight, she believed her name was. “How much time left, Lance Corporal Moonlight?”
The Lance Corporal gave the Princess a sympathetic look. “Just 10 minutes Your Majesty.” Giving a thankful nod, Luna returned to her thoughts.
What to do once this is over? Maybe I can play with Tiberius? Maybe-
“Your Majesty! There is a visitor to your Court!”
Suddenly Luna was fully awake and aware. It had been a long time indeed since somepony had come to Night Court. “Well send them in.”
The doors to the throne room opened, and in walked a very peculiar creature. Covered in armour coloured in blues and greys, the creature walked on two legs. It’s pale skin, brown hair and brown eyes were exposed. Beside it walked a white Earth pony foal with a black mane. When both neared her throne, they kneeled, and the creature spoke.
“Princess Luna, my name is Sol.” The creature looked up at her with its small eyes, “I am here to ask for your help.”
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NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Fucking cliff-hanger you evl man
10304855
Forgive me, but it was too tempting
10304871
Sorry for missing that chapter before I was busy. Well this is a nice start for a story, I was honestly supersized that you wanted to focus on the guy and colt for this story, I really do wonder where this story could lead to. I do like that the IMC are interested in alien life forms, it makes for great understated foreshadowing for the story. I wonder if his Titan is somehow bared under Canterlot?
I must say, Steel acts very mature for a colt at the age of 10... He also has quite the vocabulary.
10346618
Kids are smarter then most people think. I've got an 11 year old sister myself, and her vocabulary is fairly large.