[Forlorn Ascension]|[Rites of Dominion]

by Desrium

End Of An Era: A farewell

Some invisible cosmic clock was ticking down the final moments of the Hoof-Talon legion somewhere out in the vast reaches of space. Phineas returned to the rebel outpost hidden by the space clouds, shocking the Resistance with genuine Hoof-Talon technology taken straight from one of their ships.

"How did you acquire these parts?" he was asked more than once when he presented the technology to rebel members in the station's manufacturing level. There, weapons were already being constructed, muscular aliens hauling hulking pieces of metal and armaments around while others worked machinery and used magic to assemble things. There was a constant din of noise in the background as the rebels worked on producing and stockpiling their arsenal.

"Very carefully," Phineas replied, not too eager to delve into the specifics of infiltrating a cruiser and systematically exterminating the crew. Instead, he explained to them what he concluded about the galactic plague: telling them the story of the special Shu'badi who spearheaded a movement aboard a Marauder and the things he learned about the hybrids as a result.

"This equipment," Phineas stated, gesturing to the various bits and pieces of electronics laid out on the table, some having wires and couplings sprawled out on the table they rested on, others having cores which changed colors in a prismatic fashion. "Should it be integrated into ships across the galaxy, will allow us to track down the Hoof-Talon ships even out in deep space. It will allow us to find every single Marauder in this galaxy and make it possible to eliminate the Hoof-Talons once and for all."

"Fight the most powerful of the Hoof-Talon's ships?" he was asked. "Surely you know how daunting a task this is!"

"It isn't if we work together!" Phineas responded zealously. "It has already been done, a Marauder and the legionaries under it defeated in full!"

He panned his blue eyes across the crowd of disbelieving aliens, beings who have known nothing but strife and the intensity of battle since their very first days. Many of them have been alive for hundreds of years, knowing only of the sorrow and anger bred by the galactic war.

"Believe me, as we speak many who took part in the battle are spreading the word across the stars. All across the planets you may have settled on, your homeworlds, the fringe worlds where my kind have retreated to, the final call to battle is upon us all! Don't let it pass you by or who knows how bad the Hoof-Talons will get in the future!" Phineas said, putting all of his hope into his words. If he failed now, all was lost.

Failure meant the Hoof-Talons would reevaluate their weaknesses, adapting and evolving into even worse threat. It meant even more death and destruction. Seeing that the crowd gathered around him was hard pressed to jump at a few inspirational words, the silver stallion's expression darkened and his mood soured. He bared his teeth and exclaimed: "Don't you all understand, damn it!?"

He flashed each individual face he could make out in the rows and rows of rebels standing in front of him in a roughly semicircular formation a furious flare.

"First they take entire solar systems for their own. Then they move onto controlling all shipping lanes across the galaxy. Then they move into the regions of space that they don't control. I have seen what a single Marauder has the capability to do, it is only a matter of time until they start moving in on your worlds... and if you think you'll go down fighting then, they will annihilate you and the worlds you are trying to protect!"

"You speak words of fear and paranoia, pony!" Phineas heard someone shout from the back of the crowd. "The Hoof-Talons do not destroy planets! What makes you think-"

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Phineas bellowed, shooting into the air with his jetpack to scowl down at the group. Others who were busy with their jobs paused to look at the fuming stallion.

"Ignoring that fact that I have seen what they have at their disposal with my own Celestia-damned eyes," Phineas snarled, pointing to them with his hooves, "do you think it's an impossibility? That our weapons fueled by magic and technology would not one day be used to destroy entire planets!? Newsflash, and this is coming from a pony who has been in stasis for almost four-hundred-fucking-years- it's already happening!"

Phineas's thrusters cut out and he let himself drop back to the metal floor of the construction deck, panting out of exasperation. He could have sworn for just a few moments, the deck had become silent, the noises of building and machinery ceasing in the wake of his outburst.

"Look, all I'm saying is: if we wait any longer then we'll just end up with more misery. The Hoof-Talons have had this coming to them for the longest while. Together, as one, we can drive them back and finish them off. All we have to do is act."

Phineas sat on his haunches as the murmuring and debate broke out between the gathered rebels. He was exhausted after tempting fate by going up against a legion of enemy ships without support, launching an offensive against a Hoof-Talon capital ship from the inside and then going on an infiltration mission to retrieve the vital technology that would give the Resistance the advantage they needed to win the war.

That short episode took the rest that he had to offer. He spent so much energy fighting the Hoof-Talons, he did not expect to have to end up fighting the Resistance as well!

***

The first priority of the Resistance endgame was not launching the all out attack against the Hoof-Talons. Rather, it was the distribution of the most recent innovation to aid the war effort. Freighters were loaded up with the modified telemetry devices, now converted into Hoof-Talon tracking devices. They jumped the distances in between stars, escorted by warships, delivering the equipment to rebel bases and outposts. They were as readily installed onto combat issue ships as the weapons which they depended on to butcher their foes.

It was not long at all before production of the tracking devices branched out across the rebel territories. Ships were being equipped to handle Hoof-Talon opposition exponentially, and the fabled shift in the tide of war was not too far behind. No longer was fighting the hybrid forces a gamble of insane risk.

The various factions of the galaxy joined as one, sweeping across the sectors and hunting down the enemies which lurked in the shadows. The wreckage of Hoof-Talon legionaries was strewn across many a star system, perhaps one day fated to eventually form their own celestial bodies. Asteroids and dwarf planets, spawned from the metal used in the construction of their spacecraft.

The Marauders were imposing and struck fear into the hearts of many, but in spite of their size and fearsome power, they were no match against the unified forces of the rebellion. The searingly bright explosions which marked their deaths were seen in the hundreds across the galaxy, the diminishing might of the Hoof-Talons incinerated with each consecutive blast.

***

And what of Phineas Startrot, the prideful pony who fought through his struggles to make a name for himself? The one who survived the onslaught of his starship and was thrusted into the future so grim and bleak? His time of fighting had come to an end...for now at least. He rocketed through the changing gulf, exploring the galaxy as per his life's dream, cataloging the sights and wonders that he would observe from his telescope back on Earth, upon that grassy hill on the outskirts of Ponyville.

He was a pony who finally understood the importance of comradery and friendship...a lesson which the Equestrian council sought to teach him before the vanguard of tragedy struck. Nearly four hundred years later, he grasped the message...but he was just as alone now as he was before, except whereas he was blind to his desire for friendship then, he was more than aware of it now.

But he was still a stranger in a strange time...one that was admittedly on its way to getting better, but one where he felt like an outsider all the same. Even his own kind were alien to him and Equestria was all but a faded memory, a waning moon to be forgotten by the start of the next lunar cycle.

At one time in his life, he wanted to be known as Phineas Startrot: Elite Star Commander, first class. It was a position inherently demanding of respect and admiration, a position held by legends and heroes for whatever deeds they may have done in the name of furthering the advancement of Equestria's expansion into space. Had any Star Commander done the things he had done? Could any one of them claim they had defeated a cybernetically enhanced dragon with the use of a space shuttle? Could any of them claim to be part of the catalyst which spurred on the reclaiming of the galaxy? Could any of them claim to be ruthless murderers, who struck first, swift and true?

Because of this, Phineas did not want recognition for his actions. He was sure his cause was noble and that there were no other alternatives he could have gone for, but that did not change the fact he had spilled blood. He was not going to accept praise and notoriety for his merit as a warrior.

So he was off alone, heading deep into the far reaches of the galactic arms and star clusters, the shuttle leaving streaks of vibrant purple in its passing in the darkness of space.

Likewise, an ethereal trail glowed in the darkness, tiny wispy limbs branching off from it, drifting apart in space like the contrails of a jet. The light was a cyan color with hints of deeper turquoise and emerald.

The trail was identical to the trail left by the Iopteryx as it left the starship of the same name ruined in the infinite immensity.

[Forlorn Ascension] End

Comments

[Zaehlas]

Pretty cool story overall, and not a bad ending. I can see side stories among other things sprouting from this over time if it gets popular enough.

Good work!

[Desrium]

2088301

Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. :>

[GBscientist]

Not a bad ending at all, but I'm still sad to see it go. I would very much enjoy it if you decided to write a sequel, for instance 'The Return of Phineas Startrot".

One small nit-pick: This sentence fragment 'evolving into even worse of a threat' is rather awkward. Might I suggest using 'evolving into an even worse threat'?

[Desrium]

2088822

As always your suggestions are extremely useful and I am happy to receive them. If I ever do write a sequel, these notes I've taken based on your input will surely make it a better story. :>

Thank you once more for reading through and I hope to have you back some day.