Reborn.
Fires burned all around, pillars of smoke rose into the night sky, blocking out the gentle light of the moon and leaving the dead land in complete darkness. The crack of gunshots and the throaty roars of dragons and vampires were joined with screams of pain and fear from the many human soldiers that stood against the vampires.
Vampires, that’s what people called them. While they did feed off the blood of humans, they were far more terrible than the old stories told. They’re razor sharp teeth struck fear into weak hearts and their claws tore through flesh at speeds unknown to man. Their humanoid forms were indeed terrifying but it was their ability to transform their bodies into enormous dragons was what broke the will of those who faced them.
Man and beast clashed violently on the wasteland that used to be a lush green field, full of life. Since the monsters of the night took over it was just a shadow of its former beauty not consumed by fire and soaked in blood. The soldiers did their best to fight off the onslaught but they fell faster than they could down their enemies. They simply did not have the strength or speed to combat such a force. All but a few were hardly a challenge.
A handful among the army of humans stood against the monsters with ease. One was the man who led the initial attack. He was a large man; tall, muscular and with a face that made most people of both genders quite jealous. All in all he had the look of a true super hero with the strength to match. Just to himself he downed two dragons and dozens of humanoids with only a combat knife and his twin pistols that packed enough power in every bullet to remove the head of his enemies in one shot.
At his side was his best friend, swinging a blade with expert skill and tearing out the hearts of his enemies with extreme aggression. He was not a tall man, nor was he superhuman in any way. His name was Albus Jakal and his advantage was his cybernetic limbs. A few years before the apocalypse set it, Albus had been mortally wounded in a fight with a super soldier created to combat his friend. His wounds were so great that he made the decision to remove his real limbs and spine to replace them with artificial limbs made from delicate robotics, synthetic muscle fiber and nerves to make himself strong enough to face his new powerful foes.
With his blade in hand he tore through the ranks of vampires, desperately defending the people he cared for. From across the battle field he spotted the love his life, Anabelle Frost, facing two vampires with nothing but a rusted machete. His robotic legs carried him swiftly to her side. His blade cut cleanly through the neck of one of the monsters while, Anabelle’s pierced the heart of the second.
With a smile he turned to her and offered a quick nod of approval. He was still some distance away from her but he could see the smile she returned to him quickly fade and her mouth opened to scream his name though no sound reached his ears. His expression turned to confusion and he turned just in time to see a pair of immense jaws carrying dozens of pointed teeth towards him.
The massive red and black dragon closed his jaws around Albus’ middle and lifted him into the air. He felt the beast swing its head from side to side, its teeth piercing his midsection and puncturing his internal organs. Within a few seconds he was released from his jaws and sent sailing towards the scarred earth. Time seemed to slow as the ground grew closer only to speed up again when he made impact. He bounced a few times before coming to a stop on his back, gasping for breath and fighting to stay awake. Every breath he took was agony as his broken body lay in a pool of his own blood listening to the sounds of battle slowly fade. The world around him began to grow dark, the light drained away with his life force until there was only cold and silence.
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Cold. It was the last thing Albus could remember, his name came to him shortly after. He couldn’t recall the reason for being so cold and so terrified, maybe he’d been attacked or maybe he had been in a terrible accident. Whatever happened didn’t matter to him now. He was warm and calm. Even his metal arms and legs felt warm against his natural body. Even with his eyes closed he knew a powerful morning sun was warming his tired body, breathing life into him again. For a time he drifted in and out of consciousness but he soon felt his strength return and he began to feel curious of his location.
Slowly he opened his green eyes and lifted his tired head off the ground to take in his surroundings and was surprised to find green fields and tall trees swaying gently with a warm morning breeze. In the distance he could see a small cheery looking town with puffs of smoke rising into the air from the rooftops. On the hills closest to him there were a few farms dotting the landscape and when he looked closer he could see the movement of small equine creatures even some bovine silhouettes. The scene before him was full of life and for some strange reason it felt unfamiliar, even alien. He took in a long breath and held it for a few seconds. The air was so fresh, so inviting he didn’t want to move from his comfortable spot on the grass.
Curiosity overcame him so he began to force himself to his feet. With some effort he managed to stand up straight but he felt unbalanced and suddenly became very aware of how strange his body felt. After a few seconds he fell forward onto all fours which felt… comfortable. Only then did he take a good look at himself. Panic set in when he found he was in the body of a small horse, hooves and all with a small horn atop his head. His mane was long and black with a long matching tail. His body was covered in a soft, deep green coat of fur that barely covered pink scars around his robotic limbs and spine. He took a few steps backwards in surprise and almost tripped over his own legs. He could have sworn he was human before the cold and pain had set in. He distinctly remembered having hands, and feet and no fur but now he wasn’t sure. Maybe he’d been dreaming. Maybe he had died and was reborn… Then how did he still have his prosthetics? How was he still scarred?
He was so confused and terrified that for a moment he just stood in place, frozen like a statue, waiting for someone to wake him up or for an alarm to go off. Nothing happened. When he came back to reality he was still in this beautiful place filled with life, in a body that didn’t belong to him.
“Ok… What do we know?” he said softly to himself, hoping to clear his mind enough to establish a game plan or just a plan in general, he just needed a task to focus on to remain calm, “I was cold and my whole body hurt. Then the cold stopped and took the pain with it. I woke up here and now I’m… a pony with prosthetic limbs in a very green and living world.” He paused, “Now I need to find out where I am and if anyone recognises me here.” He added calmly and took a long, deep breath then with a nod he turned his attention of the town in the distance. There had to be someone there that could help him.
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“Spike…Spiiiiike. Wake up.” Twilight Sparkle said softly in her sleeping dragon companion’s ear. The purple dragon opened one eye and peered up at her, “Come on Spike, get up.” She said again, almost dancing in place with excitement.
With a groan Spike lifted his head and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, “Why so early? I thought you had to study? I wanted to sleep in…” he complained.
Twilight began to grin down at her scaly companion; she was almost bouncing on the spot now the way Pinkie Pie did on a daily basis, “I observed strange lights in the sky last night! Something came down from them out in the fields just outside of town!” she exclaimed, “It was really late so I don’t think anyone else saw it. If we hurry maybe we can find it! Ohhh this is so exciting! I hope it’s a meteor and I get to be the one to name it and be the one to bring it to a museum.” she added, her mind racing over all kinds of scenarios.
For a moment Spike just watched her for a moment and thought about just going back to sleep but he forced himself out of the small bed and to his feet. With a mighty stretch he gave a little nod, “Ok, let’s go. I guess finding a meteor is better than sleeping.” He said, trying to be as enthusiastic as possible despite only wanting to sleep in for once.
Twilight gave him a big smile and clapped her front hooves together, “Wonderful! Let’s get out or supplies and make a nice checklist so we don’t forget anything.” She stated before trotting off with Spike tailing her, though he was still a bit sluggish with sleep.
In no time at all, Twilight and Spike had gathered all the materials the unicorn suspected they would need for discovering, moving and cleaning up any space debris that may have fallen during the night. Before they left their library home, Spike held a quill in one paw and a checklist in the other. He would swipe a checkmark in a small box on the side of the list as Twilight recited their supplies and when the last item had been confirmed they made their way out the door and towards the site at a brisk pace.
Most of Ponyville was still asleep as Twilight Sparkle trotted through town with Spike close behind. Not even the energetic Pinkie Pie or hardworking Apple Jack were awake yet. As they neared the edge of town, Twilight picked up the pace ever so slightly, her eyes glittering with excitement. It wasn’t often that something from space struck Equestria and the small unicorn was determined to be the first to lay eyes on such a treasure. Soon the gentle crunch of her hooves on the gravel roads turned to almost inaudible hoof steps on the lush grass, still glittering with dew.
Spike struggled to keep up with Twilight as she sped up once again as soon as they started cutting across the grassy field. He sprinted for a few feet so he could catch up, “Twilight! Can you slow down a bit? I have shorter legs than you!” he whined through his panting. He was then lifted off the ground by a glittering magical aura and dropped onto Twilight’s back, “That’s more like it.” He sighed and rubbed his already sore feet.
As they drew closer Twilight started to feel a little nervous since she observed no signs that anything had crash landed anywhere nearby. Her heart sank even further when she spotted a pony up on the hill that where she had seen the event, “Oh no…” she sighed under her breath but continued on anyway, at least she could find out what this pony knows about the event and why there was no crater or crash site whatsoever. She opened her mouth to call out to him but froze in her tracks when she got a good look at him; he was unlike any pony she had ever seen around Ponyville during her time living there. It looked like he was wearing armor on each of his legs but it appeared more intricate than anything from even Canterlot. His green eyes had a cold, heartless gleam to them. Just looking at him made her want to turn and run, there was something terrible about this pony that made her heart race.