Lux Aeterna

by chip22

Into Equestria

Everything was silent for what seemed like an eternity inside the Canterlot Castle. There was an eerie feeling, as if the ponies inside the room felt like they didn’t belong there. Princess Luna got up from the floor, and rubbed her head, which was aching.

“Is everypony alright?” She asked, watching everypony in the room get up slowly.

“I’m feeling peachy keen!” Pinkie Pie beamed.

“Ah’m fine.” Applejack said. “Nothin’ that won’ keep me down.”

“I’m good.” Rainbow Dash said, swiveling her head to make sure.

“Nothing feels different.” Twilight said as she felt herself with her hands, looking for any wounds.

“That’s a good sign. It means that we didn’t end up next to a sun when we jumped universes.” The Ing leader said nervously. “But I will need to figure out where we are.”

“Wait, are you saying you don’t know where we are?” Celestia asked harshly. “We could be in the middle of nowhere, and you wouldn’t be able to tell?”

“Well I’m pretty sure we’d be frozen solid if we weren’t close to a sun.” The Ing said sarcastically, “Why is this a problem?”

“My sister and I need to control the sun and moon.” Celestia explained, “It’s how we draw our magic.”

“I’ll find out in a few seconds,” the Ing said. “Oh, are we really there?”

Before Celestia could ask what the Ing leader meant by that, Luna’s eyes went wide, and turned to her sister.

“Sis, can you feel that?” Luna asked, “It feels like there’s something else here.”

“What do you mean…” Celestia asked, but then cut herself off. “What is going on? There’s something else here that isn’t a sun or moon. Where are we?”

“Well, it seems we’re in a very bad spot.” The Ing said, “We seem to be right next to the home planet of the Gaia.”

“Well what does that mean, um…” Luna asked, before forgetting the Ing’s name.

“Just call me Dark Gaia.” He said, smirking for just a moment before looking back at the console to perform more calculations.

“Well, Dark Gaia,” Luna continued, “Could you tell us what you mean by the home planet of the Gaia?”

“Well, it’s obvious, really.” Dark Gaia chuckled, “When we jumped through the time relay, we landed right next to Elyon, the home planet of the Gaia. Of course, there are other planets colonized by them in this system, but it is Elyon that holds the most Gaia. So, they are just going to probe us with a few satellites and maybe a few ships until they figure out what just happened.”

“By probe, do you mean an attack?” Shining Armor asked, eyes wide with fear, “And what are satellites? And what do you mean by ships? Ships that go on the water, do you mean those kinds of ships?”

“No, ships that travel space,” Dark Gaia explained, “And when they find me among you, they will most certainly attack to take me back. But do not worry, the forces still loyal to me will defend your people.”

“Wait, so now we’re fighting two enemies at once?” Rainbow Dash said. “And you’re just telling us to be calm?”

“I’m afraid so.” Dark Gaia said, “I mean, you can’t fight the Gaia with a few flimsy spells and spears. It just can’t be done.”

“Flimsy?” Twilight interrupted, “What do you mean by flimsy?”

“Well,” Dark Gaia said, shutting off the console, “You can’t take on an assault rifle with a levitation spell. Especially since a Gaian sniper can take your head off at over three miles away.”

“What do we do if they do attack?” Celestia asked, fear in her eyes.

Dark Gaia looked out of a window into a golden ray of the sun. It was almost calm, as if the city had just seen a thunderstorm, not a trip between universes. There were citizens nervously walking the streets, alongside Ing armed with rifles.

“Then hope for the best.” He said solemnly. “It’s all we can do.”

***

The questions finally came when the rest of my squad had entered the small room. We had yet to figure out its purpose, so Isach had taken to calling it “The Studio”. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re thinking “What kind of name is that?” I was asking myself that too.

“Sir, what in the name of everything just happened?” Aseri asked, “Look at it!”

In the span of a second, a planet just appeared between Elyon and Elyon II. It was mostly blue with oceans, though there was no shortage of green land. I looked closer, and typed in commands to zoom in the image.

“Let’s find out, shall we?” I asked.

The image zoomed in, and I found myself looking at a continent. There seemed to be no modern technology whatsoever, as there were no sprawling cities that spanned for miles upon miles or fleets of civilian vehicles, as there were on Elyon.

“Is that a planet?” Aseri asked, “How did it just appear there?”

“Was it a time relay?” Isach asked, “It’s not everyday we get a new planet in our star system.”

All the while, I was trying to get any information I could find on this planet. There had to be a reason it just appeared out of nowhere. Isach’s theory of a time relay seemed likely, but I couldn’t be sure. We never knew what the Ing were up to.

“Could we get a closer view of the planet?” Aseri asked, “Maybe the planet’s inhabited.”

I shrugged, and tried a few commands on the console. The image did zoom in, and what we found was truly shocking. The natives of the planet were all different colors, and some had wings, and others had horns, while a third archetype of the natives had no special cosmetic differences.

“What are those things?” Isach asked, “Can we get anything on these things, sir?”

“I’ll see if I can.” I answered, “If this did happen because of a time relay, it’s more likely than not that the Ing have intel on these things. Let’s have a little look-see.”

I opened a few programs, and tried my best to get what little intel there was on the natives. I eventually found a journal log about them, written by an Ing scientist.

“Today I came into contact with the natives of this strange world. They call themselves ‘Equestrians’. It’s a very odd name. And they seem to be millennia behind our modern technology. These natives resort to magic when we would resort to technology. They are ruled by two monarchial sisters, named Celestia and Luna. They rule together over the land of Equestria. While they tell me there are other natives on the planet, I have yet to leave the walls of Canterlot, their capital. I trust that I can find more information on this strange planet and their stranger inhabitants.”

“Well,” Aseri said, “What does it say, boss? We can’t read Ing, you know?”

“From what I could read,” I said, “They are called Equestrians. They seem to take a horse-like appearance, and they are ruled by two sisters, who reign as Princesses. They seem to be skilled in magic, and they are millennia behind modern technology.”

“Explains no high-rises,” Aseri answered, “You think High Command has intel on this?”

“I would believe so.” I answered, “It’s no secret that we can hack into Ing databases.”

“Well,” Isach said, “Are there any Ing on that planet? If they jumped here from a time relay, they have to be there.”

His question went answered when we saw a column of Ing marching through the streets of a small town. We all looked intently, until Aseri broke the silence.

“What the hell do they think they’re doing?” She asked abruptly, “Don’t they know that they’ll have their cities burning in days?”

“Apparently, some already are.” I said, looking at intelligence files I had just uncovered, “Right now, the city of Trottingham is under siege by Ing forces.”

“And what are these princesses doing about it?” Isach asked.

“Well,” I said unsurely, “I would think that the Ing have deceived them in some way. Considering their primitive technology, it seems likely. Other than that, it is likely they are occupied by the Ing.”

“We’ve got to tell High Command.” Aseri said, “We can’t just sit here on our hands.”

I looked at her, and nodded. I got off the console, and walked out of the room. Everyone followed in tail, while numerous plans raced through my head. Something had to be done; Aseri was right. Even though the natives were primitive, we couldn't just let an Ing-occupied planet just appear in the Gaian Capital System and have us, who have the most intel on the situation, sit here and do nothing.

“We’re going to need reinforcements.” I said, “And maybe a few cruisers, maybe even a frigate or two.”

“Sir, what are you thinking?” Aseri jogged up next to me as I walked swiftly through the corridors.

“I’m thinking we’re going to need reinforcements if we’re going down there.” I said, “We can’t just go down there and kill all the Ing, now can we?”

“Since when were we going down there?” Aseri asked, “What has gotten into you, sir?”

“Well, we’ve decided to go down there since I thought about it,” I said, stopping to ponder on her questions, “And I think a little empathy goes out for the natives. I can’t just let them suffer, can you?”

She rolled her eyes at me. She hated it when I pulled a guilt card on her. She reluctantly agreed, and walked off to tell High Command of our situation. All the while, Isach, the rest of the squad and I walked outside to await the reinforcements.

In about half an hour, there was a sizable amount of troops waiting to head onto the strange planet of Equestria. There was about half a division, and, according to Aseri, another twenty divisions aboard a frigate fleet in orbit. I have to be honest, I’m surprised High Command could come up with this in such a short time. Well, being High Command does put you in control of all Gaian armed personnel, so I guess they just have these guys sitting around, waiting for combat.

Aseri had told me that there were teleporter consoles around the base, and that she had calibrated them for the capital of Canterlot. She told me that if we were going in, we needed to start big.

“There’s no time like the present, men.” I said, “Let’s mount up!”

We started moving into the portals. I looked up, and saw a squadron of aircraft fly above the base, to drop off its payload in some occupied town. It never really mattered where the bombs landed, as long as the Ing died, it was a successful run.

As we were shuffling inside the portals, I couldn’t help but think about what was on the other side of the portal. Aside from the limited intel I had read, I knew next to nothing about the Equestrians. That worried me, not knowing everything.

When it was my turn to head into the teleporter, I almost wanted to run away. I was a kid anyway, what was I doing in a war? I needed to have fun, not end life. A thought crossed my mind that scared me. What if this was my idea of having fun?

I had no time to ponder further on that, because as soon as I stepped onto the console, I was suddenly thrust into the city of Canterlot. It was a little city compared to the gigantic metropolises back on Elyon. This wouldn’t even pass as a small town.

There were few pedestrians, and even fewer Ing. We immediately dispatched the Ing threat, and spread out on the street.

I took cover in an alley, and looked across the street to Isach and Aseri. They pointed up, and I saw the fleet in low orbit. I nodded, and waved my hand to signal them to follow me. I crept along the street, and dove to the ground when I heard the alarmed voices of the natives and Ing.

“Everyone get down!” I heard an Ing say, “It’s the Gaia! They’re here to kill us all!”

I looked down at the intersection of the cobblestone roads, and saw Ing soldiers move into the middle of the intersection. I raised my fist to signal to attack them. I raised my assault rifle, and fired three shots into an officer’s back and neck. He fell to the ground, and the other Ing turned to see my company firing at them.

“Take them down!” I ordered, “No civilian casualties!”

The company responded with more gunfire. I stood up, and killed another Ing with four shots to the chest. By then, we were at the edge of the intersection, and looking for any possible threats.

“Hold this position!” I shouted, “We stay here until the fleet arrives!”

We laid down portable cover, and made a little fortress out of the intersection. We had men watching every direction, eyes peeled for any Ing. It wasn’t too long before we came under fire by a large group of Ing and a main battle tank.

“Take cover!” I instructed, “And take out that damn tank!”

I hid behind a portable barrier, and nodded at an anti-tank soldier. He grabbed his rocket launcher, and fired the missile. It flew high above the tank, and dove down on top of the tank. The explosion from this impact engulfed the tank and a few Ing surrounding the tank. I then got out of cover, and fired a burst at a single Ing soldier that was running towards the intersection. The burst impacted the Ing in the chest, and it fell to the ground.

Right after the Ing fell, a Gaia fighter flew above the city, and strafed the street, taking out a large portion of the attacking Ing force. I took advantage of this situation, and instructed the company to move forward.

We jogged down the street, and combated the Ing that met us with resistance. Something didn’t feel right, because the Ing weren’t trying to eliminate us. It all seemed too easy. I blocked those thoughts out of my head, and jogged faster down the street.

Soon, we reached the large castle that dominated the skyline of the city. The company moved up to the entrance, but we couldn’t go any farther. The entrance was blocked; there would be no way to get in without forcing our way through.

“Place explosives on the entrance.” I ordered, “We’re going into that castle.”

“Yes sir,” Aseri nodded, and looked at the explosives squad. They placed small yet powerful ion bombs at the base of the gate, and ran back. We all took cover behind statues, walls and other means of cover before the ion bombs imploded.

The fireball wasn’t enormous, but they got the job done. The gate was gone, and we were free to enter the castle. We got up from our cover, and walked cautiously inside the elaborate gardens surrounding the castle. The lush green garden was a sharp contrast to the gray and black of the city; and a nice relief from the ruined streets and flaming tanks and buildings.

I reloaded my assault rifle, and waved my squad over.

“We’re going to split up inside here.” I said, “And confuse the Ing as to how many of us there are. I want this area secured by the time the fleet lands outside the city.”

“Yes sir.” Isach replied, “Don’t worry sir. We’ll get it done.”

I nodded, and moved into the gardens. I kept my rifle aimed in front of me, and crept silently inside the maze. My eyes continuously looked up at the castle; I couldn’t help but fear an Ing ambush from inside the castle.

We got through the gardens with few problems, and came to the elaborate entrance to the city. It was strangely unlocked, and we walked slowly inside the castle. I turned a corner, and raised my rifle when I saw an unarmed Ing walking through the halls.

“Freeze, Ing scum!” I shouted, “And get on the floor!”

The Ing put his hands above his head, and knelt down on the floor. I walked up to the Ing, and looked around to see if there were any others.

“What’s got you so worried?” The Ing chuckled, “When we’re already there.”

My eyes went wide, and I turned and ran back to cover. A hail of gunfire erupted inside the hall, and shots hissed and cracked past me. I got behind cover, and exhaled. I looked over the overturned table I was using for cover, and raised my assault rifle.

I aimed at a large Ing with a machinegun, and fired seven rounds into its abdomen and chest. He snarled, and turned the machinegun in my direction. A barrage of gunfire pounded the wooden table, and I knew it wouldn’t hold. I got up, and sprinted behind a wall.

“Return fire!” I shouted as I fired at the machine gunner again. The squad opened fire, and the Ing began to fall. A few fell in the first few seconds, but they fled behind cover, and the gunfight began to last longer than I expected.

My thoughts were interrupted by one of my squadmates shrieking as he was hit in the shoulder by a burst of gunfire. Blood spewed from his wounds, and there was no hope for him. Being somewhat crazy, I ran out of cover, and dragged him behind cover to allow aid to be administered to him.

It was then that we began using other means to terminate the Ing. I primed an ion grenade, and threw it at the hulking machine gunner. It imploded between his legs, and he died before he hit the ground. With that hulk down, the others soon followed. Knowing that there were armed Ing inside the castle, we sprinted down the halls, until we arrived at a set of large doors.

My squad relayed our location, and soon, most of the company was beside us as I kicked down the door and ran into what was obviously the Throne Room.

We were greeted by about fifteen natives turning, along with a few Ing. We raised our weapons at the Ing, and they immediately surrendered their weapons. I walked up to the natives, and they engaged in conversation with coherent speech, which surprised me.

“What art thou doing?” A dark-skinned native asked. She wore an elaborate dress, and had wings and a horn protruding from her body.

“We’re freeing you from Ing captivity.” I explained, “These things have already destroyed one of your cities. What’s stopping them from destroying another?”

“That was because of an insurrection.” Another female native interjected. Her hair was flowing and was colored pink, blue and light green. She too had wings and a horn. “And these Ing have been trying their best to put down the insurrection.”

“That’s a lie!” Isach shouted. I turned and looked at him harshly, chastising him. He lowered his head in defeat and apology.

The Ing that the natives were talking about walked up to me, and chuckled.

“So, they send a lowly Captain to capture me?” He asked, “The amount of disrespect is astounding. To send a Captain and a company of troops to capture Dark Gaia is pathetic.”

“Dark Gaia?” I asked, “You’re Dark Gaia?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He asked. “It took you that long, Light Gaia? I figured a being so pure as yourself would be able to identify me immediately. Such a pity.”

I gave him a hard stare. He realized that I was actually Light Gaia. A Light Gaia is the purest of the Gaia race. There are only one in a few thousand, and they typically held high ranks in the military, politics or religion. It was unusual for one to be only a Captain, such as myself.

“And you’re so young as well.” He said, lifting up my chin with his hand before dropping it. “I didn’t know the Gaia drafted children to fight their wars.”

“Everyone stand back.” I said, reaching for my high-powered pistol. “He’s extremely dangerous!”

My company stepped back in obedience, but the natives did not move. They glared at me in resentment, and one blue native with wings walked up to me.

“He’s dangerous?” She asked, “You’re the ones who go through our city and butcher our protectors! No wonder these Ing are fighting you.”

“Do you really believe that?” I asked, “You need only look at the countryside! They butcher your people, and you swear allegiance to them?”

The Dark Gaia then began to chuckle loudly, and reached for submachine guns at his hips. He looked at me, and said,

“Unfortunately they do.” He turned to the natives, and said, “For intelligent beings, you sure are naïve! Did you really think there was an insurrection? I ordered the attack to see how foolish you all were!”

He began to laugh uncontrollably, and I drew my pistol. I trained the sights on his head, and shouted at him to put down the weapons. He smirked, and replied with a staunch no. He then turned to the natives, and began to fire his weapons. He hit a few, though the others soon got out of the way.

I fired my pistol at the Dark Gaia, but he flexed his wings, and flew up into the air. I flexed mine, and flew up to him. I fired a few more shots at him, but he flew straight for the windows, and broke through one as he escaped. I snarled, and landed on the ground.

I turned around, and saw a horned native point a staff of some sorts at me. She was purple-skinned, and had dark purple hair.

I raised my hands in surrender, and said, “You’ll regret it if you kill me.”

“Who am I supposed to trust? First the Ing tell us that they are the good guys, and then they start killing us.” She said, “I don’t know who to trust.”

“Well you’re not the only one.” I said as other natives raised spears at me.

Author's Note:

Finally, my third chapter is finished! My editor made this take really long, like supar long. But i don't blame him cause he writes his own stories, too. Anyway, tell me what you think!