It all started with the wrath of nature. It always has. Four souls are trapped on a tropical island after a devastating hurricane destroys their vessels. Now, Octavia, Vinyl, Trixie, and a human named Dave are thrown into the claws of untamed...
It all started with the wrath of nature. It always has.
Four souls are trapped on a tropical island after a devastating hurricane destroys their vessels. Now, Octavia, Vinyl, Trixie, and a human named Dave are thrown into the claws of untamed mother nature. Together, they must face the trials of the island until they're rescued or escape.
As the gears begin turning and civilizations meet, the conflict threatens to leave a permanent mark on the world. NOTE: at certain parts can contain gore
Special Thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
*** AN: I'm still quite new to fan fic writing, and it's a hobby for fun. English is not my first language, so hope i won't be nuked for it by the grammar nazi swarms ^^:
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
Heavy rain, blinding lightning, and winds that could sweep someone up like a cheap toy were what composed the raging hurricane. Through the unholy storm, a VTOL craft struggled to keep itself in the air, but all the gods and elements plotted against it, throwing the vessel into the mouth of the ocean below. The massive waves made quick work of the small aircraft, shattering it and swallowing the metal and souls of those inside. Except for one...
“What a day...” Dave sighed, carrying supplies to the VTOL. He wasn't entirely thrilled by the reconnaissance mission they assigned him, but in the new order, there were no objections from a military man like him. “I just hope we'll at least have good weather.” He had been assigned to help the scientists of the group with whatever they needed on their endeavour to the unknown.
And it was truly unknown for them, humankind, or rather what survived the 'biblical end' of Earth. Truly, everything went hell once the asteroid hit. Yet, humanity spat into the face of fate, bitterly struggling to survive. They even abandoned their own humanity, melding flesh into machine so they could stand a chance against the elements in their doomed world.
After some time, their choice finally paid off. Once they discovered the secrets of quantum mechanics on a new level, they reveled in its wonders. However, the biggest one by far was their portal technology. With it, they could tear reality and reach into parallel universes, and after some trials, they found one primed for living.
Now, they made their foothold in the new world, on small islands in an endless ocean. They were a few thousands souls, but they were able to feed the many more who remained at home. They were a mere speck of what humanity used to be. Twelve million people; men, women and children. Many of them wished to escape the frozen hell they been trapped in so long, but the small islands of Trinity just weren’t big enough to feed and house everyone. To build up the civilisation would take many more decades, even with their advancements in technology. Exploration was in order, so expansion could follow suit.
“Almost done...” Only a few items were missing before the aircraft could take off and journey to the new landmass they discovered in the Northwest. The crew, pilots, security escorts, scientists and assistants were all eager to start the mission. Some for adventure, some for science, and some just for the sake of doing it. It was planned to be a two to three week long expedition to the new continent, ensuring a long flight both ways.
The one person from the crew who remained, who still clung to life and hadn’t been sucked into the black, cold deep of the ocean, fought desperately. He managed to catch hold of a plastic container that floated on the water, but the massive waves repeatedly submerged him, filling his vision with nothing but ice cold seawater and rushing bubbles. Time seemingly lost it's meaning as seconds felt like long minutes, and direction quickly followed. Down became up, front was to the right, and the world was spinning, spinning between concussions and blissful darkness, air and water, as the monstrous storm refused to stop it's tantrum.
After an unknown amount of time, Dave returned to the world of the living. The muffled sounds of waves greeted him, but were less angry and more relaxing than before. He could feel cold, but variously textured bone-chilling waves wash over him as he lay on the sandy shore. Coughing the sea water up, he slowly opened his cybernetic eyes to see the sun rising from behind a mountain range, covered in darkness. Slowly, he stood up and looked around.
The sky behind him was still lost in the darkness of the storm, and only the edge of the massive wall of clouds reflected the early sun rays, and it looked as if it had caught fire. The shore stretched in both directions and was constantly washed by calm waves. It was likely an island, but he would check that later. The man quickly walked inland and sat down at the edge of the thick vegetation of this tropical place. Paradise? Hell? Both? He pondered quietly. He was trained for basic survival in hostile environments, even with the limited tools in possession: a knife, and more importantly, a plasma cutter.
“Well... Guess it’ll have to do for now.” With that, he began his trek into the jungle, searching for food, water, and hopefully shelter.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
Celestia’s sun neared its apex when a small boat reached the shores of the island. Its passengers were all in good shape, save for the recent and cruel memories of last night’s storm, during what was supposed to be a ‘relaxing’ trip to the Gryphon Kingdom.
The sun had climbed higher by the time the first pony composed herself and got out of the boat. She was a white unicorn, who looked around with bright red eyes while rubbing her head with a hoof. “This is so not cool.” Her stomach was somewhat calmer now that the rough voyage had ended, but there was plenty that could have been better, especially in the food and water department. She sighed and looked down at her two friends, though they were closer to colleagues, as they had all taken a job on the newest cruise ship. Ironically, the builders claimed it to be unsinkable and the first storm they crossed on its maiden voyage easily sent it to the bottom of the sea.
“Hey, Octi. Trix. Wake up, you lazy mares.”
Both the azure unicorn and grey earth pony opened their eyes, and both pairs could put to shame any evil in this world. The headache, swirling fatigue, and stomach sickness wasn’t a good combination, and Vinyl’s wake up call just acted as oil on the fire of their bad mood.
“The great and powerful Trixie is not lazy! And you...” snapped Trixie, only to be interrupted by Octavia.
“Oh, for the love of Celestia... Please, can you both remain quiet?” she complained, rubbing her head. The unicorn duo rolled their eyes in unison, but quickly returned to staring daggers into each other. Octavia just sighed, wishing all of it would just go away and turn out to be a mere nightmare she could wake up from. However, the pain was too real, and the memories were too vivid to be mere imagination. All the horror of panicking ponies twisted her guts sharply, but she somehow managed to not empty her stomach even more than she already had.
“Well look, girls, we can stay here and sunbath in our own filth,” Vinyl cringed at the mention of it, “Or we could get some food, shelter, water, and a shine to our coats.”
Trixie’s eyes twitched a little. “...Trixie agrees.”
Octavia forced herself up, and with some newfound strength in her legs, she got out of the boat and dove into the sea. She stayed there for a minute or two to rinse her fur clean of the filth and sickness they all shared. Shortly after, Vinyl and Trixie followed suit. None of them had been keen on getting into the cold water while tired, hungry, and thirsty, but being clean again was worth it.
Soon after, the three mares pushed the boat inland near the forest edge. It was better there, considering it could be turned upside down and act as a decent cover against the elements. Of course, some cleaning was in order. The three checked for any supplies, and with the blessings of the four goddesses, they found three survival packs.
They searched through them quickly, finding fire-making supplies, some knives, first aid kits, and most importantly a set of rations. One was quickly consumed to quell their hunger. Searching more, they found blankets and more fire stones, though with Trixie being an illusionist and fireworks being one of her specialties, it wasn’t the greatest of finds. After thoroughly scavenging, the three settled down in a circle to discuss how they should proceed.
“Alright, I believe we need to plan our moves as best as our circumstances allow.”
“Trixie agrees with Octavia. She may be Great and Powerful, but Trixie is not foolish enough to think she could fare by herself.”
“Well hey, that's the spirit,” added Vinyl, in a bit of a flat tone. “So, we should divide up and explore the shore to see if we can find anything important.”
“Quite so, Vinyl. Also, in the meantime, maybe the Great and Powerful Trixie could set up the camp fire and arrange a shelter.”
“Hmph. Trixie will do so, not that you two would have any experience with manual labor...”
Octavia frowned at Trixie’s comment, but left it at that. Vinyl, on the other hoof, glared hard enough to blow the steam off of Trixie.
Trixie took a quick gulp and added, “Not that Trixie believes you to be incapable of taking care of yourselves.” She finished with a sheepish grin. After a few moments, Vinyl returned the trademark smirk of hers, while Octavia just stared at her with an eyebrow lifted. Eventually, she shook her head and moved on.
“Alright then, Vinyl, which way? Left,” She pointed in the appropriate direction, “Or right?” Vinyl just smirked and gave the best faux-pondering face she could, with one hoof rubbing her chin and the other waving in the air. “Vinyl, today please,” plead Octavia. Vinyl shrugged and pointed to the left, then hopped up and began trotting to the right. Octavia merely stared for a second and facehooved, then tried to formulate some words, but gave up and facehooved again. “I fear for my sanity,” she said, before standing up and venturing to the left side of the coast.
Trixie quietly shook her head, having the exact same train of thought as Octavia. If the wild didn’t get them, their own antics would.
The rest of the day was uneventful for Vinyl. After some tracking, she got back to the camp that Trixie had finished — to the best of her ability, given the timeframe. The boat, cleaned from the remnants of last night, was turned upside down and supported by some large strong branches and rocks, to hopefully withstand a storm if it hit.
“Hey Trix, that looks cool,” Vinyl said as she arrived back, done with exploring. Within a magic field of hers, she held some coconuts.
“Was there ever any doubt? And Trixie sees we have some more to eat.” Vinyl placed the loot down and licked her lips, eager to fill the bottomless pit of hunger she called a stomach.
“Where’s Octi?”
Trixie looked at Vinyl and shrugged. “She hasn’t returned yet, and it eludes Trixie how long she planned to track around.” Vinyl had an uneasy look. “She's little miss uppity, so it’s not like she would be out for too long...” The two shared concerned looks.
Deep inside the thick rainforest of the island, Octavia ran for her life. She was being chased by feline-like creatures, and while small, they were deadly in a pack. She have managed to buck or stomp several away, but they were aggressive and filled with a bloodlust to get their next meal. She had some cuts on her hide, caused by the mini predators attempts to leech onto her and topple the earth pony to the ground.
Terror rocked her to the core. Even though she was stronger than the vile little creatures, and even though she was sure she could decimate many more of them, there were just far too many for her to handle. That, and she was forced into the forest, which she realised was her biggest mistake. She was slown down as much as the cats, but they had an unfair advantage in the chase.
“Oh dear Celestia, why is this my life!?” She jumped up as she ran and bucked behind herself, nailing one of the felines right in the head. With a sickening crunch, it was launched far behind her into the depths of the green forest. “Why did I ever accept that stupid invitation to work on the ship?!” She saw a small opening ahead, leading into a clearing. Octavia dashed as fast as she could, but the fierce predators quickly surrounded her in the open area. She was forced to stop and look around. “Oh, buck me!” It was an uncouth expression, but perfectly described the situation at hoof.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
Time seemed to slow down as Octavia’s senses sharpened and adrenaline flooded her system. She could clearly see the predators begin their assault as two of them jumped into the air, aiming for her throat. She lifted her front hooves just in time to meet with their jaws. The other cats circled around her, ready take their turn, but she was more than sure that the ones behind her weren’t going to remain idle. It was a dance for the survival of the fittest, and Octavia, with all her heart, was determined to make it a spectacular dance indeed, whether or not she was victorious.
Her sense of time speed up as she punched the two lunging cats, and the sound of bone cracking under the force was music for the show. With her hind legs, she pushed herself forward to avoid the impending danger from behind and to the sides, but even with her speed she couldn’t avoid the attack fully. One of the cats caught hold of her rear and sank it’s claws into her. Using her momentum, she stomped on the two in front of her and swung her backside, spinning around and throwing off the unwanted and painful weight. In doing so, she locked eyes with the rest of the pack, who were moving in for the kill.
There were three of them before her: one recovering from the missed jump and the other two coming from the sides. With another spin, Octavia pulled her hind legs in and immediately shot them out in a powerful blow. The move carried enough force that it instantly killed the two, and she could hear the bodies collide behind her. Turning her head, she could already spot the newest threat to her life. With her front hooves, she angled herself not to avoid the incoming bite, but ironically to bite the assailant. If the feline wasn't confused by this, it certainly was after Octavia yanked it back and threw it with frightening accuracy at another. The quick onslaught left eight more of the felines standing around Octavia and four dead, and it had only taken mere seconds.
“Come on you matted piles of fur! Come and dance with me!” Octavia howled, fueled by a mix of adrenaline, terror, and primal instincts. She was surrounded, so without the ability to flee, she fought.
The pack pulled back a ways, but time and numbers were on their side. Eventually the prey would make a mistake, and that’s when they would strike.
Octavia stood in defence, quickly turning around and glaring at the surrounding menace. She attempted to retreat to the side of a large tree in the middle of the clearing. Her vision was firmly locked on the tree, but suddenly it diverted, and not on her own accord. The forest turned into a green swirl mixed with darkness and piercing light from above the canopy. After the sudden disorientation, when she could finally process what was happening, she realised she was swinging back and forth in the air by her hind legs.
Octavia bobbed up and down from the powerful yank of the trap she walked into, and her mind ran a million miles an hour as the felines began to attack. The closest one leaped into the air and Octavia panicked, closing her eyes and looking away as to avoid seeing her own demise. She heard a loud snap of the jaw, then another, then another, yet she was still dizzy and swinging from side to side. She opened her eyes and watched as yet again another of the predators jumped up. The jump was high, but not high enough to reach her. She was scared but forced herself to remain calm, though each time a jaw snapped hungrily before her, she couldn’t help but wince. She had time to think now, though, and things began to sink in.
“Help...” she cried softly, muffled by the snarls and growls of the angry animals underneath her. She was trapped, and fatigue took over her. The adrenaline wore off and the pain of her wounds finally began to register. She could breath easier now, but the very thought of what could have captured her with the trap took the color from her. She was done for, from either the pack of felines or the owner of the trap. “Help... somepony!” Octavia closed her eyes and covered her ears. She didn't want to see or hear the world around her as she sobbed quietly.
Time had passed and Octavia calmed down, but she had resigned to her fate, fairly certain she wouldn’t live long. She was exhausted and her injuries were somewhere between numb and painful. Adding to the uncomfortableness, her rear hooves had fallen asleep due the rope cutting off the circulation. Most of the blood had rushed to hear head and front hooves, giving constant pressure and a headache. But, as if that wasn’t already enough, her stomach constantly reminded her that she lacked any food.
“How could I have ended up like this?” She sighed, closing her eyes. As she had done many times before, Octavia composed herself as best she could in such a situation and tried to enjoy what little she had left. She was still alive, and she could rest for now, but it would be rather difficult, being upside down. The cats had also seemed to give up, being just out of their reach.
She focused her eyes towards the sky, the weakened light showing dusk was well on its way. Slowly, she took in the details of her surroundings. The tree, the very branch that snatched her off the ground, was strong and in the apex of it's life. It was very beautiful. The forest now displayed some tranquillity and the air was crystal clear, which she took a deep breath of. Soon, though, the quiet was interrupted. Octavia could hear the cats not too far away. Something had disturbed them. She glanced around, and soon some rustling from the left grabbed her attention.
From the thick vegetation emerged a large, towering creature. It walked on two legs and wore cloth all over its body. It had a patch of silvery white fur on top of its head, and its skin was pale white. With its arms, it held a net over its shoulder which seemed to be filled with fruits of some kind. The creature turned its attention towards her and their eyes locked. Octavia gulped. This being was intelligent, and it was the one who set the trap. She had a never seen another creature like it. More interesting still were the eyes, which had a soft glow to them. They gave Octavia a strange feeling.
Her mind raced. Maybe, just maybe, the creature would spare her, if it was as intelligent as it seemed to be. Maybe it wouldn’t be ruthless and kill another sentient creature like herself. With a nervous smile, she waved. “H-hello there!” She gave another gulp, quite audibly. It responded with the raising of an eyebrow, and curiosity shone in its eyes. They remained this way for several moments.
Octavia noticed one of the felines begin sneaking up on the tall creature, and she pointed with her hoof while shouting, “Behind you!” The being let go of the net it was holding and spun around, grabbing two objects that hung on its side. One was a sharp blade and the other began glowing with blinding light, shooting an icy blue-white flame out.
The smaller predators began advancing, but were surprised as the larger bipedal creature began an assault of its own, and it was very fast. It easily caught the closest one and dispatched it with the knife, severing its head faster than she could follow. With the same momentum, it was after the next one, and before the first victims head hit the ground, it had disappeared into the vegetation. Only rustling and the panicked cries of the once vile predators could be heard. Octavia’s blood froze as she eyed the beheaded feline, and she had no doubt that this creature was an apex predator. And, if the situation demanded it, it was an incredibly smart and fierce one.
The noises faded away and were replaced with the ambient sounds of the forest. After a minute or two the biped returned, cleaning its blade of blood, and his gaze met Octavia’s. Eyes of terror and fear met eyes of curiosity and confusion. As it began walking towards her, the weapon still in its claws, Octavia cringed and raised her front legs to shield her neck and body, as she didn’t want to end up like the cat. “P-please, don’t h-hurt me!”
It stopped and pulled its head back in shock, and even more curiosity shone from its eyes. Rubbing its head with a claw, the arm holding the knife relaxed and rested at its side. “Come again?”
An awkward silence followed as the cellist held her breath and blinked. It just spoke to her, in perfect Equestrian. “Please… don’t hurt me.” She replied, much clearer and more composed than before, but still very much frightened. The answer the creature gave came as a shock.
“I didn’t think I’d go nuts after only one day alone on this island.” He shook his head and looked over Octavia. “Um, alright. I won't hurt you... and I’m not going to eat you… but damn, how are you speaking my language?”
All Octavia could do at the moment was blink. It not only understood her perfectly, but it spoke... No, he spoke Equestrian and then claimed it was his own language. Trapped and dangling upside down, she was at the mercy of the creature. While it was a bit of relief that he said he wouldn’t hurt her, she was well aware that if it did want to harm her, she wouldn't stand a chance even if she was free.
“Okay, I guess I’m just going to chalk this up to the weirdness of the multiverse and the sick humor of fate. So, what’s your name, if you have one?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then looked at the bipedal being again. “My name is Octavia. Octavia Philharmonica.”
“Octavia… That’s an interesting name, but I guess it’s fair for a name I’d give one of my own. My name is Dave, but just call me Ice.” He rubbed his head in thought. “So... uh, what are you doing in the middle of the jungle, naked, on this island? Or is there a settlement of some sort nearby?”
Octavia sighed in mild frustration. “Other than hanging here upside down when not being chased by predators and attempting to stay alive, not much. And if there was a settlement here, I’d love to know about it.” She then tilted her head quizzically. “And what's wrong being naked?”
“Oh, haha, nothing, I guess. The thing is, my kind wears clothes. I guess yours doesn’t.” With a quick inspection of her body, he continued. “With a fur coat like that, I can understand why clothes aren’t a necessity.” As he spoke, he pointed at Octavia with one of his claws.
“I suppose so. Um… would you mind releasing me?” She gave him a pleading look. “Not that the scenery isn’t nice up here, hehe,” she added, with a touch of nervousness and a wave of her hoof.
He gave a hearty laugh, which Octavia frowned at in silence. Once he had calmed down, he spoke. “Sorry, but I needed that. The way you put it was funny. And yes, I can get you down from there. To be truthful, though, I’d appreciate if you didn’t run off — not that I couldn't catch you — but I’m just not in the mood to jog through more of the forest then I already have.”
“I promise I won't run away. I too have had my fair share of running for a day, maybe even for a month. I'm a musician, a cellist, not a survival expert or adventurer,” she answered back, with a clear, tired look on her face. “But please, I’ve been hanging here most of the day and... those predators—” She gulped as she looked on the blood soaked corpse not too far away, “—were after me. I simply wish to rest, without them after me or being caught in this trap.”
“Hmm, that’s fair enough. Tell you what, I’ll get you down soon, but first I need to set up my camp. And as for those pesky wild cat things, you don’t need to worry, though judging by that look, I think you’re more worried of me.” Octavia nodded with an evident fear in her eyes. “I won’t harm you. Now...” He began to put his camp together, by first grabbing and pulling the net full of fruit closer to the base of the tree. “I do eat meat, but I also eat fruit. I'm what you can call an omnivore. And we don't like to consume other intelligent beings.”
“I see...” replied the grey pony. “That's good to hear.”
He laughed while looking around for some sizeable rocks and pieces of wood. “But i’m curious, what are you? You look like a miniature horse, a pony to me, yet quite different from one as well.”
“Well yes, I am a pony, an earth pony to be precise, but what do you mean I don't quite look like one?” Octavia asked, with a hint of mild discomfort in her voice.
“Guess it's fair I answer that.” He cleared a decently sized part of the ground of dead leaves and began piling wood up, then forming a stone circle around it. “You see, I'm not from this world. I'm from a different one, another parallel universe, and there's an infinite number of said universes. We just refer to them collectively as the multiverse.” Octavia listened tentatively to him, as he continued working and telling his story.
“Now, I think that’s also the reason we’re able to talk, I mean.” He stopped to gesture around himself. “There's likely another world, exactly like this—” He turned around and pointed to her. “—and has a pony, just like you—” He gestured to himself now. “—and a human like me telling the same story, and the only difference, let’s say… is that the plants are blue instead of green. Bottom line is there’s an infinite number of worlds, one just like your own, almost down to the smallest detail, while others are totally different and beyond our comprehension of how things work.” With this, he looked back at the grey pony for a moment and carried on to finish the fire.
Octavia was stunned into silence by the explanation she had received so far. It was bizarre, to put it mildly, but she thought to accept it even though it was hard to believe. Other worlds, some copies of this and others wildly different. It sounded like perfect material for a sci-fi story with a good chance of being the biggest failure or the bestseller of the decade. After a short time, she spoke up. “So, if I get this right... your world was just like mine or similar?”
“Yes, exactly, and it was similar, but there are many similarities and differences coinciding.” Finished with the fire pit, he began to ignite the wood with his fire-blade tool. “We had ponies back at home, but they weren't sentient or able to talk. They were similar in build, having hooves, fur coats, manes and a tail, but that’s about it, really.”
Octavia watched as the fire came to life almost instantly with the help of the magical tool the 'human' held in it's claws. He then looked to her. “So, would you like to join me on the ground, or are you still scared?”
“To be honest, I am very much scared, but not just of you. It’s of this whole green Tartarus I got lost in.” She sighed. “I... I really would love to just run away. Every fiber of my body screams it, but I understand my life is on the line. If I stay, at least I won't be cold, and I’ll likely be safe from other predators.”
“And I won’t hurt you.” This time, he sighed. “Guess I can't help it, considering how you saw me deal with these buggers. I ran into them earlier this morning, right after I came to my senses. I’m still surprised I lived and washed up on the shores of this island.”
This surprised Octavia. “You also ended up here because of that Celestia cursed storm?”
“Yes, and I take it you have all your fortune to thank that the storm stranded you here.” Octavia nodded. “I suppose we’re in the same boat, then.”
“Please, don't mention boats to me. My stomach churns just at the thought of a boat.” She shuddered at the memories.
“Sure thing. My experiences last night aren’t any more fun than yours, so we’ll leave it at that for now. Back to the matter at hand, time to get you down from there.” He walked closer and stopped under Octavia. “Now, don't freak out. I’m going to jump up and cut the rope, okay?”
“Okay.” Octavia gave a nervous smile. It didn't take more than a few moments for the human to easily jump up, grab the rope with one hand, then cut through it. Octavia could feel herself in free fall, but as soon it registered it was over, and they landed with a loud thump. She was covering her head with her hooves, and when she looked down, she was mere inches away from the ground. She was then lifted up by him and they saw eye to eye.
“You hanging in there?” He laughed at her expense, but Octavia didn't really mind. She wasn’t hurt, save for the wounds from the wild cats and her numb hind hooves, from both hanging for hours and the sudden force of being stopped from hitting the ground at the end of the landing.
“Heh, yes, I am.” She gave a little smile and they stared at each other for a short time. He then walked next to the fire and rested her on the ground. Octavia quickly shifted to a sitting position as Dave kneeled down and freed her hind legs from the grasp of the rope. “Thank you, Dave.”
“You’re welcome, Octavia... or is it Miss Octavia?” he replied, with a grin.
“Octavia will be fine.” She rubbed her legs to get the blood flow back into her hooves. It was an extreme case of 'pins and needles’, but she was glad to be on the ground once again. There was still a drop of fear in her, but she composed herself and remained sitting there. The human stood up and walked to the net, then began unfolding it and taking out some of the fruit. If he wanted to hurt her, he could have done it many times over, but he hadn't. “So, what now?” She asked, quietly.
“Well, I don't know about you, but I for one am quite hungry,” he replied, offering a piece of fruit to Octavia. She looked back and gave a slight smile, then nodded before accepting it. Dave sat down a short distance away from her and they began silently eating. Both their eyes were lost in the flames as the sun retreated and gave room for the night.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
As the sun began its descent behind the horizon, Vinyl and Trixie shared a concerned look. They had been searching the thick forest all day for Octavia, but their efforts were fruitless. The frightening thought of Octavia perishing had poisoned their minds on more than one occasion, and the gravity of the situation made it clearer than ever the dangers the forest held.
“Trixie thinks we should return to the camp,” Trixie said, in a quiet tone. Almost instantly, Vinyl’s head snapped back, and Trixie could swear she saw a harsh glow radiate from her eyes.
“You coward! You’d leave her alone in this messed up jungle!?”
Trixie fell back on her haunches from the verbal onslaught Vinyl had given her. After a moment, Trixie composed herself and attempted to be the voice of reason. “Tri... I think we need to stop now, Vinyl. Don't get me wrong, please, but soon it’s going to be pitch black out, and while we can light the way with our horns, we’re in the middle of a tropical rain forest on an desolate island.” She sighed and shook her head. “I do hope she is alive and will try to make her way back to us, but we’re in just as much danger here. If we can help it, we shouldn't push our luck."
“You can call me a coward, and you can call me names, but for now it would be better to return to camp. Tomorrow we can focus on the search again, but right now it’s about to become night, and that’s when most predators will be active. While I’m adept with a small amount of combat magic and other spells I’ve learned on my travels, I’d rather not put them to the test if not necessary, and, no offense, but I doubt you’re very versed in such magic.”
Vinyl was boiling, and was very, very tempted to buck Trixie in the head repeatedly, but she understood what she was being told. Trixie was being sincere, and she was also right. Vinyl didn’t know of any combative or defensive spells that she could use. She forced her eyes shut and took several deep breaths to calm herself before speaking up. “Look, I hear you Trixie, and you’re right, and that makes me damn angry... but you’re right. It’s just… all of this is… so not cool.” She dropped her head in defeat as the anger began to evaporate.
Vinyl suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up, meeting eye to eye with Trixie.
Trixie looked at her for moment before averting her gaze towards the ground. “I'm sorry, Vinyl, and I feel horrible, but… this is the best we can do at the moment. Hopefully, she’s alive and well.”
“Yeah... Guess we better leg it, then, before things gets more messed up.” Their eyes met again and they silently agreed before trotting back towards the shore. They were both on high alert, listening to every sound of the forest as they disappeared into the depths.
Octavia stretched her legs and faced her back towards the fire. She tried not to look at it, as she still felt primal fear course through her veins as two of the felines roasted above the flames. She knew this was 'natural,' but her nerves and guts didn't approve of it.
“Are you alright there, Octavia? Heh, all things considered...” Dave asked, with a touch of guilt, knowing full well that butchering and preparing the meal wasn’t an easy thing to stomach. That the pony was an herbivore only added insult to injury. However, he was quite hungry, and he had spent most of life fighting to survive and knowing that there was no room to waste food.
Octavia gave a slight smile as she turned halfway towards her human companion. “Thank you for the concern, and yes, considering all that I been through today, I am aright. Shaken up and frightened, but still alive and in good health.” She sighed and looked up. The canopy of the large tree blocked out most of the night sky, leaving only a small space for the moonlight to pierce through. Even still, the light of the fire outshone it, giving the area a strange but calm atmosphere.
“Though, I must apologize for showing my back to you. It’s just very taxing on my stomach to see a once living creature being cooked on a fire, even if it was after my own coat.”
“That's okay, Octavia. Honestly, I have to commend your strength and composure. Surely you’ve never been in a situation like this before, and you’ve gone through hell and back in a days’ time.” He paused for a minute, allowing the quiet of the night and the fireplace to fill air before he continued. “I’ve seen many horrors in my lifetime... many I tended to bury deep in my mind... and when I was first confronted by such, I wasn't even half as collected as you are. So, I really mean it.” He shifted his eyes back to the flames and watched them lick at the meat.
Octavia took a deep, calming breath and turned around slowly. “Thank you for the compliment. It's not something I thought I’d ever be praised for, but it is nice to hear nonetheless.” She cringed as her eyes met the soon to be ready food, but she steeled herself and sat closer to the fire, leaning back and closing her eyes. She figured it would still be a nice gesture to sit closer to the human and face him, regardless of the disturbing scenario. She breathed in more slowly, then closed her eyes and leaned back, supporting herself with her front hooves. Her ears perked up in surprise as she felt the humans claws—no, hands—rest on her shoulder.
“Heh, you’re being brave there, little pony, but you don’t need to push yourself.” He chuckled softly. “Just relax and enjoy the warmth of the fire. It's a chilly night.”
She opened her eyes and stared up at the canopy as she replied. “Quite so... I just hope the others are fine, and had better luck than I.”
Dave perked up at this bit of information. “Others?” he asked, turning to face the small grey mare before him. “Ah, yes, I must have missed that bit before. I wasn’t washed to shore alone.” Her eyes met the humans. “It was three of us. Myself, Vinyl, and Trixie. You see, we had been working on the ship together, not as friends, but as colleagues.” She laughed softly at the memories of their antics.
“We have quite a special talent to get on the nerves of each other, yet we could laugh at it and shrug it off. I'm a cellist, and I’m used to a refined taste and classical music, while Vinyl is the exact opposite.” She couldn't help but frown at the mere thought. “This… dubstep… that she claims to be music is just nerve racking. Anyway, she’s a nice and easygoing pony at heart, but everything except refined and well-mannered."
“As for Trixie, she is a magician, an illusionist, and she’s very good and talented, but the one thing that surpasses that is her own ego. She can also be a bit… okay, quite cold on the surface, and underneath as well, but once you get to know her and can overlook her awkward ways of socialising, she is a kind pony.”
“Sounds like an unlikely trio to me, hehe. I look forward to meeting them. That is, if they don't run away screaming bloody murder.” Octavia chuckled as she tried to imagine their faces.
“Though, you may want to be careful with them. They are unicorns, and can use magic. Sure, they’re physically weaker than myself, but magic is… heh... it’s really just cheating, from what I’ve seen.”
“Oh... Magic, you say?” He nodded and made a mental note to not provoke a demonstration aimed at him when they met. Better safe than sorry. ”What’s this magic like? I’m curious, because we don’t have magic.”
“Now that’s a statement which would definitely make a certain alicorn explode in disbelief,” Octavia mused, before moving on to the explanation. “Although I’m not a unicorn, I grew up among many, so I have a basic understanding of it. Magic is referred to collectively as the manipulation of mana space, which is present everywhere. Unicorns and alicorns are able to tap into this field directly, as they are able to absorb and use mana. Doing so causes many different 'magical' acts, and the pun is intended.”
Dave laughed and continued listening to the pony. He was in the same spot Octavia was earlier when he was explaining the multiverse theory, and how they were able to communicate.
“Basically, they’re able to levitate objects or even change them completely, such as turning a rock into an orange. The more skilled and powerful unicorns are even able to teleport, create shields, or use lightning bolts. Trixie is capable of those, but it’s taxing for her, even with how well versed she is in the arts of magic.”
Now that was worrying news. He had fearsome strength, stunning endurance, and senses augmented much greater than the average man, but the fact remained that he didn’t have a military-grade cybernetic body. Sure, he was well trained in combat and could defend himself—considering how much he been through already in his 217 years of life—but in a head-on confrontation, he wasn’t sure if he could win against a skilled unicorn. In the meantime, Octavia continued. “But unicorn magic is shunned by the alicorn princesses, and they’re the rulers of Equestria, which is where I’m from and where most ponies live.”
Silence took over as Dave pondered the new information. “Well, that’s sure impressive, and intimidating to boot.”
Octavia chuckled at the remark and smiled. “As I said before, it’s cheating, haha.”
The night went on, and they continued talking idly by the fire.
Trixie and Vinyl neared the shore when they came upon an open field with a small lake. Noticing the water, they decided to stop.
“Oh mare, I'm thirsty!” Vinyl began trotting towards the lake, but paused when she heard a loud clearing of the throat behind her.
“Don't rush, Vinyl. We should use a water purification spell before drinking from here, just be on the safe side.” Vinyl sighed in annoyance. “Yes, momma Trixie.”
Trixie couldn't help but chuckle at the remark. She trotted beside Vinyl and levitated a large bubble of water into the air whilst casting a purification spell. The little devil in her couldn't resist giving a smug and boasty 'trademark’ smile of hers to Vinyl. “The Great and Powerful Trixie gladly shares clean water with mundane unicorns.”
“Oh, har har, Trixie, but no funny additions to the water!” Vinyl stared daggers into Trixie’s eyes, but after a few moments, she smiled. “Unless you can turn it into some good booze.”
Trixie smiled and shrugged. “Trixie can not promise anything.”
The two chuckled, needing something to take their minds off their worries. As they drank the crystal clear water, they realized just how thirsty they actually were. “We must definitely come back to this spot, but Trixie advises never to do so alone.”
“Hmph. I can agree with that, especially now. I hope Octi is alive and kickin’.”
“As do I, but for now we should head back to the boat. As hard as it might be, we really need every ounce of sleep we can get.” Vinyl nodded and jumped up to all fours. Trixie followed suit and they continued their walk towards the shore.
The early night air had already grown cold, and the darkness hid many creatures from the eyes of their prey. A pair of green eyes flickered for a moment in the shadows, and a chilling wind blew over the two mares like a warning. They paused for a moment and looked around, then at each other. With a quick nod, they agreed to get back to camp as soon as possible.
“...Do you mind if I ask about your world, and how you came here?” Octavia was comfortably laying on her side next to the fire, bathing in it's warmth. Dave wasn’t far off either, sitting down and leaning back.
“I don’t see why not... But it’s not a happy story, Octavia.”
Octavia nodded in understanding, and after a few moments, he spoke.
“Guess I better start with a bit about us—meaning humans—before I get to how we ended up in your world. We’ve kind of always been an outsider in the natural world… not fully in tune with it. We started at the bottom, as prey, and we were weak. We lacked fur, and we weren’t as fast. I guess I could say we had a rough childhood for a species.
“Living was difficult and short, while dying was easy. The only thing we possessed were our hands, our minds, and our hearts of fire, with an unfillable hole,” he said, pointing to each place on his body in turn.
Octavia blinked, cocking her head to the side.
Dave simply smiled and continued. “You see, we have a burning desire to always want more, know more, and grow stronger. Simply put, we never have enough. This is our driving force, but also our biggest curse. We just can’t rest. We want to breach more barriers and find whatever might lay beyond.” He paused and grabbed a pair of fruit, then gave one to Octavia. “This is our yin and yang. We dare to dream and imagine, and this elevated us above the world around us, as well as systematically destroying and reshaping it into our own designs.” He then lifted his hand and motioned around him. “Ironically, this is what left us in such a position that we needed to seek out a new world. Although many prefer to sweep it under the carpet, our own nature is what contributed to our downfall.”
He looked up to the canopy above, watching the light of the fire reflected on the leaves. “We conquered every corner of our world, and from a few hundred being hunted, we became billions who were the hunters. We built massive cities of stone, metal, glass, and plastic. We extended our own life spawn many times over, from the average twenty to thirty up to seventy to a hundred. We designed all sorts of machines and devices to further us, from vehicles to move faster on the ground to aircraft to fly to submarines that moved beneath the water. We even created extensions of ourselves. There were also weapons of war and tools of incredible proportion that could tear down an entire mountain in a few years, just to extract the resources hidden in it...”
Dave glanced upwards, looking into Octavia’s eyes. “We had it all. Not perfect, not in balance or harmoniously, but we had everything, and the potential to be good and evil was always there within us.”
“You are a strange being... but truth be told, the way you describe yourselves... you’re like us ponies, but without limits. It’s as if you can be the greatest good and the most horrid evil at the same time. Almost… switchable.”
“That's a good way to put it, I suppose. We can be quite moody.” He chuckled, while Octavia nodded and gave a slight smile. They both bit into the fruits they held.
“But to continue, we had one nasty wake up call. That's how we ended up here.” He took another bite, savoring the taste of the fruit. “I was actually there that time. Thirty-two years old, and I looked totally different. I had my natural body.” Dave pointed to one of his glowing eyes. “As you can see, this is an artificial body. Convincingly realistic, but 80% of me is a machine. I’ll go into that later.”
Octavia’s eyes grew wide after this revelation.
The cyborg caught this and laughed. “Yes, that's why I have such incredible strength and endurance.” He shook his head and carried on. “So yes, I'm 217 years old, and this disaster happened quite a while ago. A massive asteroid hit our world... a rock from the sky?” He asked, unsure if Octavia knew of such a thing.
“So, a large falling star.”
“Yeah, you could say that, but… this one was the size of a mountain, or two.” Octavia sat quietly and attempted to imagine such a thing. She knew what kind of damage a small space rock could do, as one happened to fall from the sky when she was a little filly in Tottingham. She nodded solemnly as she began grasping even a little bit of the magnitude.
“So, yes... the impact and the immediate effects of it killed two third of our population in a days’ time. From eight point five billion people down to three in under twenty-four hours. Thing is, I could consider them lucky, seeing as how they didn’t need to go through hell to survive. After a decade, most of our society was nearly obliterated and only a few million remained. There were a few population centers near the equators, where it was slightly warmer than in a deep freezer.”
He closed his eyes, recalling painful memories. “To survive, we had to do many horrible things.” After several moments of silence, he opened them again, only to be lost in the flames in front of him. “But I survived. The will to live pushed me so far... I even... lacking better wording, cast my flesh aside to be replaced by a new body of metal and wires. I went through many upgrade over the course of nearly two hundred years, until I got the body I posses now, and it is truly a fine piece of work."
“Now, our numbers still drop. It was very hard to get by, and it still is. Our world is a frozen hell, and there are a little over twelve million left back home on Earth. Our salvation was the discovery of portal technology. We were able to breach our own reality and venture into new ones, until we found this reality. This universe.”
“I-I can’t find the words… By Celestia...” Octavia looked into the fire blankly as she tried to comprehend such a hardship. She knew she couldn't, because the only beings who could grasp such a thing were the princesses. “This is your second chance to live again, truly... and you fought for it with every bit of your soul.” Dave simply nodded.
They sat there for a while before Dave broke the silence and tapped Octavia on her shoulder. “Time for bed, my little pony.”
Octavia raised an eyebrow at the unexpected gesture. “Excuse me, grandpa, but I’m a fully grown mare, thank you very much,” she said, in a strict tone. After a few moments, the two of them both chuckled.
“Well, gramps is sure tired, and he’s gonna catch some good z’s.”
“Old indeed.”
“Hey! Missy, you're grounded.”
“Gladly.” They broke out in laughter and laid on their backs, cherishing the moment before they drifted off into slumber.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
The first rays of light pierced through the thick canopy of the forest and found their way into Trixie’s eyes. She frowned and turned over, but her slumber had already been disturbed. Slowly, she returned from dreamland and opened her eyes. Rolling onto her stomach and raising her head, Trixie yawned loudly and blinked out the last of her tiredness. Glancing around, she watched the wind gently rustle the leaves and the waves lick at the sandy shore. It was a new day, and if fortune smiled on them, they would find Octavia. With fresh strength and new resolve, she looked to her side where Vinyl was sleeping. Gently, she poked at the unicorn.
“Mmph… jus’... one more minute...” Vinyl mumbled, then continued snoring as if nothing had happened.
“Hmph! Have it your way, then.” Trixie focused her magic and willed some cold sea water out from the ocean, then floated it above Vinyl. Meanwhile, she stood up, stretched out, then walked several paces away as the mass of water floated precariously in the air. Without any further delay, the ball of water dropped.
“Yargh!” Vinyl jumped up with all her might, hitting the top of the boat and then falling back to the ground. “Urgh… Trixie!” She clambered to her hooves and looked around with rage in her eyes. Trixie had already walked some distance away and picked up a piece of fruit that had been collected earlier.
“Quick breakfast?” Trixie called out calmly, but her carefree demeanor began to evaporate as Vinyl charged towards her.
“What the hay was that!? Are you out of your mind!?”
“I tried to wake you up, but you ignored me.”
“So you go ahead and dump seawater on me!?”
“Well… yes.”
“Buck you, Trixie!” Eyes blazing, she pushed Trixie back with her muzzle. After several moments of staring the opposing unicorn down, she grabbed a piece of fruit and stomped back towards the boat. Before taking a bite, she shot a glare to Trixie, who at this point was only quietly watching.
Perhaps her methods, while effective, hadn’t been the best approach.
“Do not. Ever. Do that. Again,” Vinyl growled.
Trixie nodded slowly.
The two sat in silence, eating their small breakfasts. After they had finished, Vinyl spoke. “Alright… time to find Octi.” “Trixie agrees.” The illusionist stood up and levitated one of the packs from her bag, containing a survival kit, first aid, and more food. Once prepared, the two entered the forest again in search of their friend.
Octavia opened her eyes, immediately noticing that while most of her body was cold, there was something warm against her back. As she began to wake up, memories from the previous day came back to her. Turning over, she saw the strange creature, Dave, soundly sleeping next to her.
The fire was long gone, only telltale embers visible within the ashes. Rays of sunlight pierced through the canopy above, illuminating patches of the ground around her. Octavia felt calm, and any fear she had towards the human had disappeared. Of course, the bones of the consumed animals were a distinct reminder that she was still in the presence of a predator.
She sat up and stretched out, feeling the stiffness leave her body in a series of small pops from her joints. Sleeping on the cold ground wasn’t something she’d experienced before, and she prayed that it wouldn’t become standard anytime soon. Turning over, Octavia began to nudge the human out his slumber.
“Good morning, Dave. Time to wake up.”
After a bit of nudging, a sudden breath of air marked Dave’s awakening. Moments later, he leaned forward and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so. Octavia couldn’t help but notice his teeth, and the meat-tearing canines were all too apparent.
“Morning, Octavia. I take it you slept soundly.”
Octavia smiled. “That may not be the most accurate thing to say, but I’ve gotten enough rest.”
“Oh, right, you’re not used to roughing it in nature, are you?”
“No, I'm not, but I suppose there’s no way to avoid it now,” she said, sitting up on her hindquarters.
Dave stood and finished off his stretching by swinging his arms in a circle. “I guess it's time to eat some breakfast. Want one?” he asked, reaching for the net that still contained plenty of the unknown but delicious fruits.
“Yes, please, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, my little pony.”
Octavia rolled her eyes and grinned, pointing a hoof at him. “Be careful before you strain your tongue, grandpa. At your age you should know better.” She smiled again, then took a bite from the fruit.
“Oh child, grandpa isn’t that old just yet.” The two laughed together and quickly finished the fruits, then started packing up.
“So, do you know where your friends might be? I know you’re lost, but I think I have a good guess to where we are in relation to other landmarks on this island.”
“Well, when we went our separate ways, we were at the beach where our boat landed us. Trixie meant to set up a camp there, while me and Vinyl went scouting around. I suppose there’s no need to say how that turned out. I hope they’re alright.”
“You can consider yourself lucky. Well, not extremely lucky, but you’re alive after all, and you got through it with only a few cuts and scratches.” Dave then motioned in a direction that Octavia assumed to be the way to the shore. “I guess our next stop will be the beach, that way.”
Octavia nodded and trotted beside the human as he picked up the net with fruits. He was about to grab some of the meat but Octavia quickly stopped him. “Um, I apologize for being a nuisance, but I don’t think it would be a good idea to have a bunch of dead animals when you meet my friends. For one, you look quite intimidating from my perspective, and with those you’d be downright terrifying.” There was a hint of disgust in her voice which couldn't be helped, but she tried to put aside their differences.
Dave sighed. “You’re right, but I really don't like to waste any food. You never know when it could mean difference between staying alive or not. But, I guess for the sake of inter-universal relationships, I can hold off my meat cravings for a while.” With a shrug, he threw the meat aside and positioned the net over his shoulder.
“Thank you. I really appreciate it, even though I know it’s rather selfish on me and my friends part. Getting used to your… omnivore nature is going to take some time.”
“That’s fair. I’ll consider the needs of you ponies as you’ve considered mine, but rest assured I won't pass up a good BBQ chicken,” he said, with a laugh. Octavia gave a nervous smile, but she understood him well enough, no matter how alien the thought of eating another creature was.
With Dave taking the lead, they vanished into the green vegetation, chatting the entire way.
It had been a few hours since the two unicorns wandered into the jungle, searching for their friend, and now they were even deeper than they had gotten the previous day. As they trotted along, they kept calling out Octavia’s name, hoping she might hear, and every so often Trixie would cast a searching spell. In between those, they talked about their lives.
“I didn't know you were an orphan, Trix.”
“Many ponies don't know about Trixie, Vinyl... And yes, that's how our caretaker used to wake us up if she caught somepony sleeping in.”
“Ah, I get that now, though here’s a piece of advice. Don't continue that habit. It’ll earn you a black eye or two from other ponyfolk in no time. What that mare was doing to you foals was truly uncool.” Vinyl gave Trixie a pat on the back, but leaned in and whispered, “But I’m gonna get you back for that, Trix.”
Trixie frowned at the remark, but couldn't argue. She then stopped and began charging her magic for another searching spell, but an unexpected noise not too far away interrupted her. Her and Vinyl shared a glance before calling out into the forest.
“Octavia! Is that you?!”
“Octi, baby, say something if it’s you!”
They looked at one another again, unsure of themselves. The bush continued rustling, and after several moments, something began to emerge.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
Dave and Octavia emerged from a thick bush and immediately stopped, eyes wide. Before them stood a strange, deadly looking beast. It stood upon three tentacle-like legs as a tripod would, but had more appendages to spare. Its semi-transparent body had certain areas covered with a hard carapace, almost like a shell. As they came into its vision, the creature stared down at them using two green eyes sprouting from what they assumed to be its head.
That alone would be enough to make the blood of most creatures run cold, but for the unlikely duo, there was an even bigger shock in store. The midsection of the plant-monster hybrid bulged out, and within it were Trixie and Vinyl, struggling to escape. Even from a distance away, the terror on their faces was apparent.
Reflexively, Dave picked Octavia up and jumped to the side as a clump of tentacles swarmed towards the two of them. Since seeing her friends, Octavia had become visibly pale, and it hadn’t even registered to her that she was being held under the human’s arm as he made his evasive maneuvers.
In the meantime, Dave had begun to analyze the monster. Its tentacles looked sticky, and could be poisonous as well. He counted nine of them, plus the one with eyes in the center. It’s definitely some kind of plant, and plants and fire don't mix well he thought, glancing down at his plasma cutter. And there’s no better fire than super-heated plasma! He reached for the tool and spotted a large piece of dry wood to the side, but before he could grab it, he noticed the creature closing the gap between them. In one motion, he set Octavia on the ground and grabbed the piece of wood, setting it ablaze with the plasma cutter.
The mere sight of fire made the creature retreat, well aware of its own weakness. However, this wasn’t good enough to save those trapped inside. With impressive speed, he launched the burning wood at the creature, aiming so that it wouldn’t hurt the unicorns. The beast thrashed about in pain, attempting to hit the human with its tentacles while also clinging to nearby branches to speed up it's escape. In addition, it tried in vain to remove the burning wood from its body.
Dave continued to hurl flaming chunks of wood at the beast. Long ones were thrown like lances, while flat ones like a throwing star. They were all aimed at the base of the appendages to cripple it, and after several hits, the fruits of his relentless onslaught began to show. The beast could only wriggle in torment, and in a last ditch effort, it threw up its recently acquired lunch. The two ponies landed on the ground covered in green fluorescent slime, shaking and retching the very same fluid out from their systems. Within a moment’s time, they had been picked up and carried to safety.
Dave took several large leaves from a nearby bush and began to wipe them off, trying to get rid of the disgusting fluids. Meanwhile, Octavia came to her senses and rushed to Dave in a panic. The two unicorns gagged and shook, staring at the ground with semi closed eyes and gasping for air. Octavia reached and held their hooves in hers as she sat on her haunches, then looked from one to the other with tears in her eyes.
Dave gently set the unicorns on the ground while the earth pony helped, and they slowly calmed down. They breathed easier, but were otherwise fully drained and shaken to the core. The two looked at Octavia and the bipedal being that saved them from being eaten alive.
Dave gave a look towards the monstrosity, still laying on the ground in pain, but unable to move any more. Green liquid oozed from it's body as the wood still burned in parts. He walked over slowly, with the plasma cutter powered up again in his hands, and with a quick stroke, put the creature out of its misery.
Many hours later, all of them had returned to the shoreline camp. Both Vinyl and Trixie were cleaned of slime, and now they rested on their stomachs with legs outstretched onto the soft sand. Every bit of strength had been drained from them, leaving no choice but to lie down. Octavia sat between them and gently caressed their heads. The campfire was already lit, spreading warmth over them, and fresh water and fruits had been gathered by Dave. He took a seat next to them and stretched out, even though he didn’t really need the rest.
“That was… That was scary. I've seen many things in my long life, but this takes the cake,” Dave said, shaking his head from side to side. “It's sheer luck that our paths crossed like they did.”
Quiet followed as the ponies stared into the fire. After a bit of time had passed, Vinyl willed herself to move and turned her head towards the human. She looked up to him with crimson eyes. She was still tired and shaken, but the shine of those tired, worn red orbs spoke clearly as they met with the cyborg. She was grateful and forever in debt, for they’d been saved from a fate that made nightmares seem like a filly’s lullaby in comparison.
“I-I hope we never come across a… thing like that… ever again,” Octavia said, putting into words the thoughts of her immobile friends. She shuddered at the very thought of finding herself inside a thing like that. After a moment she composed herself and continued to stroke the freshly dried manes of her two companions.
“I can only agree with that. I just hope this was the biggest of the freaks of nature, or better, the only one. I'm confident in my abilities, but I don’t wanna fight another, or worse, a pack of them.”
“Yet, you have the best chance.” Everyone shifted to look at Trixie, who had spoken for the first time in a while. “It was resistant to my magic. I blasted it with fireballs, but it just shrug them off… Magical fire was worthless.”
“Good thing my fire is technology made and not magical.” He lifted his handy plasma cutter into the air and idly inspected it.
“Yeah...” Trixie solemnly said, before looking up to Dave. She was battered, but had the greatest endurance among the mares, being a travelling magician. “Trixie will never forget what you’ve done today, Dave.”
He smiled back to Trixie. “Don’t mention it. It was the right thing to do.” He then stretched out and got up, then returned a few moments later with fruits in his hands. “Now, I know you still feel horrible, but it’d be a good idea to at least try and eat some.”
“Let’s hope our stomach agrees,” Trixie replied, flopping her head back down on the sandy ground.
“Here, I'll help,” Octavia offered, as she handed the fruit to Trixie while Dave made the same gesture to Vinyl. The shaken mares took small bites and slowly at their meals. To everyone’s relief, the food stayed down, so the magic-less duo ate their own fruits as well.
As they finished, and idea popped into Dave’s head. “How about some music, ladies?”
“That be wonderful, but sadly I'm amiss my trusty cello, and Vinyl her turntable and records... Not that her music would be the best right now,” Octavia said.
“Well I do look forward to hearing music from you too, but I also have music of my own. Er, it’s not mine, but I have a trick or two up my sleeve.” Dave winked and pulled out a small box from his pocket. The mares curiously looked at it as he held it in his hands. “Thankfully, this is one sturdy little multi media device and still has plenty of battery life left.”
Vinyl had a confused look on her face. Electronic music, instruments, and devices were her world, but she failed to see how the small object would make music. Soon, though, the melody began and she was stunned. The others follow suit and stared at the little object emitting a strange but refreshing song.
“I love this kind of music, but my taste isn’t bound to one style. This is a music track from a game. A collection of songs. The game is called 'Deus Ex: Human Revolution'... And ironically, I’ve never played it, but I love the music. It’s from the golden ages of my kind, before the asteroid hit.”
The group listened to the music, then Trixie spoke up, curious what kind of magic was at work, for she felt none. “You are a strange being, Dave, and so is your ‘act.’ What kind of magic is this?”
He gestured to the small device. “This is purely technology. The little box is just to play the music aloud, but the music is comes from me, from my cybernetic data banks, and it’s wirelessly transferred to the device.” He smiled and chuckled as he was met with confused looks. “Well, Octavia—” He look at her and she nodded, “—You do remember when I told you that most of my body is in fact a machine, right? Eighty percent of it.”
She gave a half-nod. Not clear, but partial understanding. However, the other two mare’s eyes grew big.
“Now, there’s no need to be scared of me. I'm not a monster. My cybernetic body is a prime example to our ingenuity of the human race. We’ve been able to improve upon our natural body, and after a point make it even more incredible. This isn’t just limited strength and speed, but many more things. You could say we created our very own version of magic with technology. The perfect melding of flesh and machine, and solely thanks to this, we’re still around. We were forced to do this to ourselves after the great disaster in order to survive. My world, even after nearly two hundred years, is a barren wasteland… A frozen world lacking the life it once had.”
The girls remained quiet and only gave a nod of understanding. They enjoyed the alien, yet brilliant songs, one after another, and slowly but surely began drift into sleep, with exception of Octavia. She was still very much awake, and continued to caress her friends and watch over them as they slept.
“These songs... are just beautiful,” Octavia quietly said, after a long absence of words. “They feel… strange. They have fire... and coldness... An odd and elegant mix of calm and ferocity.” She laughed and look at her relaxed human companion. “I suppose it’s a perfect snippet of your souls and nature.” He gave a smile and turned around onto his belly. Octavia followed suit, and now all of them laid before the fire, stacked close and warmed by the fire, blankets, and the boat cover half way above them.
“Good night, Octavia.”
“Good night, Dave.”
And so, they all drift away to the lands of dreams under Luna’s night sky as the music played softly.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
The unlikely group slowly emerged from their slumber, just as the sun did. Vinyl was the first to open her eyes, but she didn’t get up just yet. She laid there, without moving a muscle, and stared at the glowing orb as it began climbing above the horizon. Soon, it was passing over the islands large mountain. Of one thing, she was certain: No matter how harsh nature could be, its beauty was like no other.
Her legs felt numb and she sighed quietly as she tried to get her body to move. Her mind had been well rested and she replayed the songs of the previous night, grinning widely as one of her greatest loves, music, was able to stay in her life. Even better, they were refreshing melodies. Vinyl had already started formulating her plan to get the human reveal more of his kind’s music.
The second one to wake up was Octavia. She nuzzled against a patch of warm and fuzzy fur as she opened her eyes. Her gaze met with Vinyls, who first had a casual expression, then a smirk. Octavia blushed, knowing well enough the unicorn and the meaning of the grin on her face. After a bit more nuzzling, she quietly greeted Vinyl. “Good morning, Vinyl. Feeling better today?”
“Ah yeah, heh. Still feel like a rag, but loads better.” She flopped her head back on the sandy ground and closed her eyes, not that she was sleepy anymore, but just resting. Just then, an idea came to her mind. “Hey Octi, care to give me a massage?”
Octavia raised her eyebrow, followed by a rolling of the eyes. “Fine... because I know how taxed you are. But don't get the wrong idea, I don't swing that way, and never will.”
Vinyl just chucked at the remark and simply added, “You never know Octi... you never know.” When she finished, there was an even bigger grin on her face.
Octavia sighed and got up, then shifted over to Vinyl’s back and began massaging her. The white mare drifted off into a land of pleasure, sighing as her stiff and numb muscles were kneaded and prodded. Octavia smiled and shook her head, watching how Vinyl melted under her hooves. Then, her sight went to the early morning scenery before them. It was like a painting, masterfully crafted by one of Canterlot’s finest artists.
It took some time, but Octavia finished the massage and Vinyl felt almost fully revitalised, and as a sign, she sported a healthy blush on her cheeks. Octavia smiled at Vinyl got up and stretched her legs, then trotted to the supplies and returned with some fruit and water.
“Thanks Octi, you're wubtastic!” Vinyl cheered, grateful for the care and the breakfast. “Celestia be my witness, I’d kiss you right now… Hey, maybe I will!”
Before Octavia could protest, she was met with a kiss on the cheek. She shook her head and frowned, but couldn’t help but let a smile escape. “Vinyl...”
Vinyl chuckled and grinned widely, blushing all the same.
“If you could kindly go in the ocean and cool off, I’d appreciate it.”
“Aww... you’re killing the moment!” With a fake frown, Vinyl turned around and started trotting towards the waves.
“Yes I do, I do.” Octavia replied, making Vinyl stop in her tracks, turn around, and give a playful smile. After a moment, what she just said sunk in, and Octavia could only facehoof. “Just get in the water.”
Vinyl couldn't hold it back and broke out in laughter.
Trixie and Dave woke up to the noise and stretched out, then gave questioning looks to the two musicians. Octavia shook her hoof as if to say ‘Don’t ask’ and rubbed the back of her head with the other. Meanwhile, Vinyl rolled around in the sand not too far off, howling with laughter. Dave and Trixie shared a look, then shrug.
Octavia then looked to Trixie. “Trixie, would you like a massage?”
Dave chuckled quietly behind Octavia as he realized why Vinyl rolled in the sand. Trixie caught on as well, but it didn't bother her. Her body was sore and begged for mercy, and she wasn’t about to turn down Octavia’s offer.
“Yes, please. It would be very good.” She glanced towards Vinyl, who finally began to recover. “And I won't misinterpret your intentions like a certain other unicorn,” she added, rolling her eyes.
“I wonder if I could get a massage too,” Dave said, prompting both mares to look at him.
Octavia answered with a warm smile, “Of course. You more than deserve it, considering the effort you put in to save both our hides.”
Trixie nodded in agreement.
“But mares first, as they say.” They then heard Vinyl choking on laughter, unable to contain herself. Dave barely could contain laughter of his own, as the antics of the ponies were both hilarious and adorable at once. Octavia gave the second facehoof of the morning, and eventually gave up and laughed as well. The day had started in high spirit.
“I guess I better get used to being looked at like a murderer because I like meat.” Dave sighed. Octavia patted him on the arm with a hoof as her other two friends had entered the ‘freak out’ stage of learning Dave’s carnivorous tendencies.
“Try not to take it out on yourself too much. We’re just different in that way.”
“Trixie thinks she will be fine with it...” She grimaced, rubbing the back of her head. “...but on one hoof, she does not want to see the ‘killing’ part.”
“Dude... that's just so not cool,” Vinyl chimed in, frowning at Dave.
“Hey, I was totally cool earlier!”
“Well yeah, that is still totally cool, but eating meat isn’t.”
“Sorry, oh mighty Wub Wub Queen.” Dave gave her mock puppy-dog eyes.
Vinyl rolled her eyes and waved it off. “Just try to be civil... Well, as civil as you can.”
“Yes, mother,” Octavia said, with a snicker.
“Hey, I’m nopony’s mom!”
“Yes you are!” exclaimed two mares and one human in a perfect unison. Vinyl dropped back to her haunches in surprise, blinked, then cursed under her breath.
“So... what should we do, besides getting more food. I personally don’t wanna stay on this rock forever. The warm weather and scenery aren’t enough to make up for the trouble we’ve been getting in, and we’ve only been here for two days.”
“Trixie seconds that. This place,” she paused and shuddered, “It just doesn’t feel right.”
“It's like the Everfree forest back home, but on steroids,” Vinyl added.
“Mental note, avoid the Everfree forest if I ever get near it,” Dave said.
Vinyl giggled. “You coward.”
“What?”
“I'm no coward, mom.”
Vinyl’s smile evaporated.
“I just don't enjoy fighting monsters and other unknown abnormalities, even if it's well within my capabilities.”
“We are getting way off topic here,” Octavia interrupted. “As for what to do, it’s simple. We need to sit down and go through all of our options, rationally. We need to determine how difficult or risky things will be.”
“Something along those lines, yeah. We’ll get somewhere,” Dave said. “It’s best we set up more than one plan, as you were onboard a ship, and a rescue operation seems likely to happen. My people may look for me as well, and as matter of fact, in six months time we had plans to put satellites in orbit.”
“What are ‘satellites’, and ‘putting in orbit.’ Could you elaborate?” Octavia asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Satellites are special machines, mainly built for global scale telecommunication, but some are built for observation, measuring, mapping, and even military purposes. As for orbit, you see the moon or the sun in the sky, right? The satellite would be up in the sky, very high above the ground, and making a trip across the horizon regularly.” He gave a quick explanation to the ponies, who nodded in understanding.
“And they could see us stuck here... Now, that's an awesome trick!” Vinyl said, perking up.
“Haha, yes, but I’d need to connect to the satellite, and I kinda lack the equipment to do that at the moment. Of course, I could probably make something, but it would be a crude design and the operators might not even notice it.”
“Then maybe Trixie could send a scroll asking for help. Trixie isn’t sure if she’ll be able to bridge such a distance, as sending scrolls from such lengths through the mana space requires powers of an Alicorn.”
“I’m new to the whole concept of magic, but can't you make a magical battery that stores magical energy so you can access it when have enough to send the message?”
Trixie thought long and hard about the option, while all waited patiently for her answer. “Trixie thinks it's possible, in theory, but she isn’t sure she can pull off such complex magic weaving. She would need a magic storage unit, a crystal... But the problem is, such storage is dangerous. It can explode without warning, or turn the magic back on the user.”
“Hmm. Let’s put that one on the backburner for now. If we can help it, we shouldn’t risk blowing ourselves up. The transmitter I suggested is less hazardous and can be more safely controlled. Though, we shouldn't bury it fully. We can attempt if if we’ve made precautions and are prepared.”
“Absolutely. Trixie wouldn't want herself or any others to become a smoking crater.”
“What about making a ship?” Vinyl butted in, raising a hoof energetically. The others began to ponder the simple suggestion. “I mean, that’s like the most easy way to get out of here, other than waiting for a cupcake to land in your mouth.” Dave laughed at the remark, but nodded.
“That's very true, but it’ll be quite a challenge as well. I don't think any of us are sea hardened, and a ship that doesn’t fall apart in its first storm isn’t easy to make. Plus, we’d need to take enough supplies with ourselves, like food, water, and navigation.”
“Trixie can handle navigation if it comes to that. She is quite adept at using Luna’s night sky.”
“Well, it seems we may not be that lost after all.” Octavia smiled and looked to her companions, and they returned the gesture. “Nonetheless, we first need to find a better camp. Somewhere safer, if there is even such a spot on this island.”
“Well, we can always clear out a section of the forest. The cut down trees can be used to build a fort not far from here, but that’ll likely take months to finish and give one heck of a job to each of us. For that matter, I’m more familiar with such operations, as we had to set up our first base on an island a year or so ago and I had been present.”
“That is marvellous! And I cannot argue with that... Let us do it step by step and around our current camp, so there’s no need to travel along with the work we’ll have to do.”
The four of them agreed on jobs to do, then they set out to work. First, they ventured into the forest to gather more fruit and haul a decent amount of water back to the camp. Dave even got to quench his hunger for meat with Trixie’s help, though she was quite displeased. She helped catch a smaller flightless bird in her magic until the human did what had to be done.
After stocking up, they began clearing out the jungle near the camp. They started with the bushes, which went fairly well, especially after Vinyl grasped how to create a sonic blast. Trixie was correct in her assumption that being a musician, she would get the hang of the spell quickly. While the unicorns worked on the clearing, Dave and Octavia did the cleaning.
They stockpiled the cut down vegetation a bit further down the beach as to Dave’s suggestion, for it would make perfect firewood material once dried out. It also acted as a potential hiding place for animals, and none wanted a surprise attack from the said pile. By the time the sky turned orange, they all were all exhausted, but had finished off a productive day. Food and a better camp were underway, but best of all they didn’t get into any trouble, which for they all were grateful to the deities out there.
“Well, today was fun,” Dave said as he lazily laid on the sand, looking up the sky.
“Aw yeah, now with a twenty-percent cooler Vinyl!” Vinyl grinned maniacally, happy she mastered a new spell, and finally not feeling so defenseless in the wild. The others chuckled at her comment.
“Oh Celestia, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this tired,” Octavia added.
“Haha, we all need some good R&R, but let’s take that after we finish the forest clearing. One day, just laying around.”
“Trixie likes that idea.”
They all sighed, thinking of sunbathing and relaxing for a day. For a while, the four of them just watched the night sky, but then Vinyl spoke up.
“Hey, D, you have any more music?” she asked, looking towards him.
“Of course I have more. Let me think of something. Hmm... this’ll be good.” With a press of a button, the music began playing from the small device. To the soft music and low crackling of firewood, the group drifted into sleep.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
It was the third day. The third cursed day that they floated on the large chunk of wooden plank. There was no fresh water and there was no food. Drifting in and out of consciousness, a batpony mare weakly lifted her head and looked up at the horizon. The sun was rising, but she saw the one thing that she desperately hoped for. Just barely peeking over the horizon, bathed in the flames of the morning sun, the tip of a mountain was visible. She blinked to clear the painful sunspots from her vision, then looked again, and indeed, the peak was there.
“Miss Cloud Counter! I-I see land!” She shouted, with a huge grin. Then, she looked to her side, as only the sound of the ocean greeted her. In a moment’s time, all happiness had evaporated from her face and tears began rolling down. The elder pegasus, who she shared the broken plank with, had passed on. It was evident that her body couldn’t handle the stress of being on the open ocean for days.
Midnight closed her eyes and tried to collect herself. She grieved for the pony she barely knew and vowed that she wouldn’t die, not like this. She cursed the fact that she had to leave the body to be claimed by the ocean’s depths, as countless souls had done days ago. Visions came back to her, and the screams of doomed ponies rang in her ears, among flashes, the roar of lightning, and brutal winds.
No, she would not be claimed by the ruthless ocean. Even if cost her life, she was determined to reach soil again. She fought her fatigue and took to the air, eyes locked on the sun and the mountain on the horizon, and she never looked back.
Octavia slowly woke up, feeling like she was in heaven. It was very comfortable and warm, but as the fog of sleep began to clear, she registered that a hoof was working her back. Somepony sitting on top of her began quietly calling her name.
“Hey there, Octi. Morning, hehe. Sun’s shining on us all.”
Octavia blinked slowly, processing the situation, but she didn't panic. She was far too relaxed, and it felt nice to get a good massage, especially after the tiring days she’d been through. After a time, she replied, “Good morning, Vinyl. Mmm... thank you.”
Vinyl chuckled as her friend relaxed. She found it fair to return the gesture from the other day, and Octavia certainly needed it. Vinyl felt plenty of tension in her muscles from all the physical work been done, and nopony in the group was used to it.
Octavia glanced around with only her eyes, too lazy to lift her head, and saw Trixie still asleep while Dave was awake and fixing up his special breakfast a bit further away. He respected his pony companions and didn’t prepare meat in from of them, but the cooking was still done at the camp. She also noticed he hadn’t forgotten them, as several fruits were piled up not too far away from the water. She smiled contently, as the morning had been perfect so far. If only the new camp could be magically finished and prepped with comfortable beds.
Midway through her daydreaming, Octavia was interrupted by Vinyl. “I’m that good, huh?”
Octavia chuckled. “You’re quite good, Vinyl, but no, I was thinking about the camp, and having nice beds to sleep in.”
“Aww, and I thought you were warming up.”
She gave another laugh. “Apologies, Vinyl, but I’m just not that way. However, Trixie is.”
Vinyl smirked. “Oh, I know that much, but I wanted you to join us on the happy side.”
Octavia rolled her eyes. “I won't, sorry, and I’m not joking about that. The thought just feels so... alien to me... like eating meat, I suppose.” She sighed. “But don't feel bad. With a massage like this, I definitely have nothing against it if I’m in the mood.”
Vinyl sat up and continued her work, smoothing Octavia’s cramped muscles. “I’m cool with that. Besides, I’m trying not to be creepy.”
A random thought came to Octavia. “Say, Vinyl, once we get back home, what do you say we try to make music collaboration? The songs Dave showed us are truly stunning, and are a perfect mix of classical and modern.”
“Now that's a super idea! I'd love to! It’ll be a challenge, too, and there’s nothing DJ-P0N3 loves more than a challenge!” Her eyes lit up as a wild and untamed smirk flashed on her face. She was so caught up in imagining her future music career that she forgot what she was doing.
Octavia looked up to her zoned out friend, shook her head, then turned forward just in time to see Dave approaching.
Dave sat down and looked to her. “Good morning, Octavia and Vinyl. Hmm... I think you might have broke her, little pony.”
She couldn't help but laugh at the remark, and indeed, Vinyl was broken, completely zoned out. “It's not hard to break her, really.” Octavia gave a sly smile, then looked back up to her stunned friend. “Maybe you should poke her.” Dave had a spark in his eyes – a spark of mischief. He reached over and picked up the unicorn unceremoniously, immediately bringing her to her senses.
“Whoa, h-hey! D, what are you doing?”
“Oh, I just picked you up and got your attention, hehe. You are just adorable with those day dreamy red eyes and expression.” He held her a bit off the ground, then put her down. Her face went red as she tried to figure out how she could be so out of it, then she gave a sheepish nod and smile.
“Well, it sure beats Trixie’s method from the other day.”
“Oh, what did the Great and Powerful Trixie do?”
Vinyl snapped her head down to Octavia, unamused by the memory, but she answered anyway. “She… dumped… cold… sea water… on me. Just to wake me up.” Octavia didn't think Trixie would do such a thing, her eyes grew in disbelief. “Yup, she did it, but we cleared things up and she won’t do it again. It was something from her foalhood.”
Immediately, Octavia understood. She knew about the orphanage where Trixie grew up, and its cruel caretaker.
After a short while, Trixie joined the awakened, as they been noisy enough. She was grumpy, but she didn't blame them. Looking at the sky, she realized she had slept in. However, she noticed something else. The others chatting were quickly blocked out by her concentration towards a distant spot of the sky.
Due to the earth pony and unicorn blood running through her veins, it was a natural talent of hers to spot magical auras. The aura in the distance was that of a pony, unlike the greenish aura the rest of the land, plants and creature possessed. She forcefully blinked, and yes, the pony was still there, traveling in a shaky and unregulated flight pattern. It was likely they were pushed beyond their limits to reach land.
At this point she spoke up, still completely out of tune what the others been saying. “Another survivor! Another one! Quickly!” With this, she sprinted off, leaving the confused group stare at her for a few moments. Once they realized she was serious, they quickly got up and followed her.
Midnight’s vision was blurry. She saw the land like a large splash of colors on canvas, and every last fiber of her body begged for mercy. She forced herself to try and stay airborne, fighting off the urge to give in to gravity and fatigue. Then, the ground began approach faster. It didn't even register to the poor mare that her left wing had fully cramped up. As she got closer and closer to land, she blacked out.
Trixie panted heavily, her hooves giving in as she laid on her belly, magic alight. It wasn’t that she had run too fast or overexerted herself, but she was scared. She had caught the plummeting batpony at the last moment, using her magic as a cushion. She tried to slow the fall and protect her, and she did, but whether it was enough she didn’t know. The mare had hit the ground, blasting up enough sand to cloud the surrounding area, but Trixie kept her magic at full force. She could only hope that her efforts were enough.
The others rushed past Trixie to see if the new arrival made it or not. The dust settled down to reveal the leathery-winged pony surrounded by Trixie’s pink aura. Trixie lifted her out of the ground, as she had been somewhat embedded by the crash. To everyone’s relief, she was still breathing, though barely.
“That was a close call. Nice catch, Trixie,” Dave said, impressed with the mares rapid thinking and action.
“Too close… way too close...” Trixie replied.
The group didn’t stay there long, and after a bit of preparation, they took the unconscious mare back to their camp.
After some time, they agreed to continue with their work while Octavia looked after the batpony at camp. The hooves, hands, and magic worked hard, but so did their minds, wondering who else would end up on this island of questionable safety, or if she was the last to reach the haven.
Time passed quickly, and they managed to clear out about third of the trees. They took more effort to bring down, cut up, and move than mere bushes and other vegetation at ground level. By the time they finished, the sun was far past its apex.
Midnight felt weightless at first, lost in utter darkness, but then her senses began to return. Her mind began to clear, but at that point she felt like she was made of lead. Breathing was laborious, and movement was out of the question. She could smell the ocean saltiness in the air, mixed with freshly cut plants, alongside smoke and burning wood, with a hint of fruit and… meat. She forced her eyes open, but her body rebelled against her. Her vision was blurry, and the sounds muffled, so she let her eyelids droop once more and tried to focus her ears. They proved to be the most cooperative part of her, as sounds began clear up. A voice called out to what she guessed was her.
“Are you alright?”
Feeling a hoof rest on her back, she forced her eyes open again and put more effort into breathing. Weakly, she looked in the direction of the voice. Her vision un-blurred, and she couldn’t believe who she saw. She knew this mare. It was her favorite musician, and she was back on the ship, and now here. Then it hit her. She had flown to this island with her last ounce of strength, and all began to return to her. However, she was still weak. She focused her eyes on Octavia and tried to speak but her voice died before it could leave her muzzle.
“That's fine, dear. No need to push yourself now. You’ve been through lot.”
Midnight could feel the hoof stroke against her back gently. She was calm, very sore, and like a ragdoll on the floor, but she was awake now.
“Here, have a little drink. I’m sure you're thirsty.”
She felt the blessed liquid on her lips and drank as greedily as she could muster. “T-tha… nk... y-you...” She wasn’t impressed with her voice, but she could see the refined cellist caught it and smiled at her in return.
“That's quite fine, now just rest. You need to regain your strength, and you’re among friends. For now, I need to make the food for the others. They aren't too far away and should be back in a hour or so.” She gave a comforting smile.
Midnight gave a weak smile as well, but slowly drifted back to sleep, knowing she made it and was safe now.
Midnight woke up to a strange sound. music was playing, but it was a song she hadn’t heard before. Her cat-like yellow eyes opened and she look around, seeing it was well into the night and Octavia wasn't far away. She recognised Trixie and Vinyl, but her eyes were stuck on a figure she hadn't seen before. It wasn't a pony, and it was huge, too. Soon, the scent registered—meat—and the creature was eating just that. The fact alarmed her, but the other ponies looked relaxed. Then, she saw Octavia get up and trot next her.
“Hello again. I hope you’re feeling better now.”
“Hello... Yes, I do. I still feel so tired, and… I have so many questions.” She glanced to the tall being as she finished the sentence. Octavia followed her gaze, then looked back to her.
“I believe you, and you have plenty of time to rest. We’ll also answer your questions, so there’s no need to be worried. I’m sure our friend here can answer some as well.”
“Indeed,” Dave said, finishing his meal. “I guess some short introduction is in order. My name is Dave, or Ice, and I'm a human. Don't worry, I won't eat you in your sleep.” He chuckled, while the others shook their heads and smiled.
“I'm Trixie, or as you may know me better from the ship or perhaps from before, the Great and Powerful Trixie, illusionist and magician.”
“Hey there. DJ P0N3 here, but just call me Vinyl.” She winked as she finished.
“And I would be Octavia Philharmonica. I do think I remember you, but I can't quite put a hoof on it.” She gave a thoughtful look while rubbing her chin.
“Nice to meet you all... Heh, guess the entertainment won't be an issue.”
They all laughed, for with three showmares present, this was indeed the truth. Then she continued, focusing her gaze at Octavia. “I’m a big fan of yours, Miss Octavia. My name is Midnight and I'm one of the Lunar Guard. Captain of the Lunar guard, to be precise.”
Octavia grinned. She had a fan on this deserted island, and even if she could, she wouldn’t hide it from the others.
Midnight sighed, then added bitterly, “Now I guess I have an extra long holiday.” “It looks that way, Midnight, and an involuntary one at that. This land is beautiful, but twice as deadly. Being a military pony, things might be a bit safer now. All the girls already had their dances with death.”
“Why yes,” Octavia said. “I was first to get in trouble, and that's how I met Dave. I kind of stumbled into his trap while fighting for my life against a pack of predators in the forest.” She rubbed her head. “It wasn’t fun to hang upside down for that many hours, but that rope trap saved my life until he arrived. Those beasts got a taste of their own medicine.”
“You’ve been very lucky, my little pony... And now that I think about it, you were pretty adorable hanging up there.” Dave let out a chuckle.
Octavia gave a sigh, but smiled. “I suppose so, but you just wait ‘til karma gets you back, somehow.”
Dave shook his head.“It’s bound to happen. Besides, I’m a cyborg. I could handle such discomfort for days without breaking a sweat.”
“Wanna bet, D?” Vinyl giggled.
Midnight looked between the members of the group and saw how they banded together already. It was certainly an unlikely match. Another thought came to her head, as she wondered what a ‘cyborg’ was. She made a mental note to ask about it later.
“Hahaha, why not? But the bet comes on a condition: you participate as well. I won't be bored out of my mind alone, and Octavia has had her fair share.”
“You're on!” spat the white unicorn, with enthusiasm. “Once our little castle is finished, we’ll see.”
Octavia and Dave’s eyes met, and while they only gave sly grins, their eyes told tales. Midnight saw this, and had a fair guess that the DJ would be far outmatched in the ridiculous bet, but hey, entertainment was covered.
Trixie smirked as well, but not so subtly, in clear knowledge of the outcome. “Well, Trixie will get some good snacks for that show. Though Trixie and Vinyl have had their own troubles... and...” She calmed herself with a deep breath, ”Let’s say.. now have a perfect experience of what it feels like to be eaten alive and suffocate, yet not, inside a giant plant tentacle monster, for an hour's length…” She cringed as she finished, like a delayed shock.
Midnight’s eyes grew large as she heard this, and she was forced to flap her ears down as Vinyl gave her input.
“Beware the tentacle monster!” She was loud, clear, and well soaked in fear. “Never, ever, ever again... Rather be torn limb from limb than that… Ugh...”
“That was one disturbing run, and that's how I met them. So far I have the record for saving everyone... Well, until today.” He turned towards a certain azure mare.
“As I saved you.” Trixie’s voice got Midnight’s attention. “I just woke up and looked upwards, where I spotted you flying and very tired. I ran as fast as I could, and just at the last moment was able to catch you in my magic and shield your body from a fatal impact.”
Midnight’s eyes told more than thousands of words, and she was thankful beyond measure. Trixie just smiled – not smugly, but with well deserved pride, just as a certain rainbow-maned pegasus that she knew would.
In the meantime, Dave picked up another stick with meat on the end and held it above the fire.
“Hungry much?” Octavia asked, not so refined but amused. She was slowly coming to terms with the taste of the non-pony of the group.
“Why yes, little pony, Dave is a hungry Hungarian.” He smiled.
“Wha-, a hungry what?” Vinyl not so subtly butted in.
“Oh, I guess that doesn’t make sense. To put it simply, I'm originally from a country from my home world, called Hungary. It was a small country... and frankly, I’m not even sure any others left, though I can’t be certain.”
“Oh...” Vinyl whispered, looking down at the ground.
Though the next sentence shocked everypony, it made the human raise his eyebrow. “Could... I have a little of that meat, if it's alright?” Midnight asked.
“Well that's new, but sure, I don't see why not... Though, will you be okay? I mean, you’re a pony and herbivore.”
“Yes, I will be fine, so long the meat is tender. I’ve been in the company of Gryphons before and tried meat. I don't like it at all, but I need my strength back quickly, and it is an energy bomb, so to speak,” she explained.
“That's fair enough. Just give me a few minutes to get it right in the fire so it's soft and tastes good as well.”
Midnight nodded, though at this point she was catching the glare of the others around her. It was quite a shocker, she had to admit. “Er…” Her ears fell back. After a few moments, Octavia shook her head and smiled.
“That certainly is new. But if it helps, then it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, we aren’t in Equestria now. We’re in the wild, and survival isn’t easy.” Both unicorns nodded at this, the shock wearing off. Not much, later Dave walked to Midnight and gave her the meat, making it sure it was torn into small pieces so she could eat it. The other mares looked in curiosity, with just a touch of unease. The batpony ate all of it, but lacked any emotion as she did so.
As time flew by, Luna’s night claimed them, and one by one fall asleep, ready to wake up to a new tomorrow.
Special thanks to Alexstrazsa for editing the story.
It was middle of the night when Dave jolted up, hearing sounds that carried danger. Being a cyborg, he could sleep and still be aware of his surroundings. He stood up, noticing the fire was nearly out, most of it being red embers glowing in the dark. His eyes scanned the forest edge, and something caught his attention. It was something familiar, and chilling.
He didn't hesitate and quickly shook Trixie awake. She had an angry look on her face, but that quickly changed as she followed his arm pointing towards a barely visible green glow in the distance.
She recognized the faint light as the monster that tried to eat her and Vinyl. When she spoke, it was quiet but urgent. “I hoped we wouldn't come across one of those again,” she said, dropping her usual third person speech.
“I can second that. Wake the others quietly. I’m not sure if it’s aware of our presence or not, but lets not make a commotion if we can help it,” Dave whispered.
Trixie nodded and began waking Vinyl, while Dave shook Octavia with a hand on her muzzle. Her eyes widened, first in surprise and then fear. “Psst… Stay quiet. We might have one of those tripod hybrids around.”
She gulped and slowly nodded.
Dave moved his hands from her muzzle and gestured towards the distance where the green light was. It was indeed one of the tripod creatures, and it seemed to be leaving the forest. While it wasn’t heading straight for them, it could definitely spot them if it possessed good enough vision. Partially digested creatures were visible, and one was recognisable as a feline predator. The rest were unknown.
The group watched the creature move for the waves, and once it reached them, it began to drink. It came as a shock to them, as normally no creature drank sea water due to the extremely high salt content, yet this monstrosity did. Once it had it’s fill, it began to retreat back into the forest. While it was good that it had left, its presence was a bad sign. They could stumble into the camp on the way to get their daily 'refreshment,' and there was no doubt they’d be happy to have an extra snack. Several minutes passed before the group was sure it had gone.
“Was that thing… the one that got you girls?” Midnight asked.
“Yeah, and you wanna stay away from it unless you have fire – and not magic based fire.”
Midnight nodded at Vinyl’s reply while she brought the fire to life with new fuel.
“You know, I’d love to have a flamethrower on hand when seeing another one of these tripods.”
“Well, you have that plasma cutter tool,” Octavia mentioned.
“True, true, but let’s just say it lacks some range. A flamethrower ,on the other hand, has a nice range to it and can burn things to a crisp even a few feet in front of you.”
“You humans have a toy for everything,” Trixie said, with a grin.
Dave chuckled. “Oh, you would be surprised. But you ponies have spells for any occasion.”
Trixie gave a smug smile.
“Okay everypony, cut it out with who's got the bigger game. We aren't colts.”
Trixie stuck her tongue out at Vinyl in response and the group laughed. They agreed that it might be wiser to clear more of the forest around them, because from what they’d seen, the tripod could reach in halfway from the edge. For rest of the night, they agreed to have a lookout.
Soon, the sun was up again. Sure, their sleep hadn’t been the best, but it wasn't anything that some stretching and activity couldn't fix. That was when something strange happened to the cyborg, and it brought a smile to his face.
Inside a dark room, illuminated by screens and other holographic displays, several human figures quietly worked. Around the room, the humming of computers could be heard. At the center terminal were two people, one standing and watching eagerly while the one sitting spoke up.
“Sir, SAT-RC1 is online and in stable geostationary orbit.”
“Good. We need that satellite up and running ASAP. Begin locating our recon teams.”
“Sir...”
“What is it?”
“We’re picking up a Level 3 VTOL craft distress signal emitting from the bottom of the ocean.”
“Damn it… which team used it?”
“It was team four, sir… but there’s an island relatively near the location. Twenty-five miles, to be exact.”
“Which could mean survivors with any luck. Alright son, order a UAV blimp to the set location. I’m going to get a team together, and son, send me the participating team members list.”
“Yes sir!”
With this, the technician frantically begun his work while the commander left, disappearing into the darkness of the room.
“Well, well, well...” Dave said, with a grin. He had been standing in silence for several minutes, so the sudden talk caused Octavia to give him a questioning look.
“Are you alright?” She asked, once he had fallen out of his trance.
“My day is much better now.” He sat down beside Octavia, as she cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “Guess I better explain it. It seems my knowledge of satellites has been somewhat inaccurate.”
“Does that mean…?” She gave a hopeful look.
“Yep,” Dave answered.
Octavia jumped up and hugged him, surprising him.
“This is terrific! We’ll be off this rock in no time!” Her eyes shone with delight and she had already begun drifting away, cello, chocolate, bed, and friends coming to mind.
“Ohoho, slow down there, little pony. They aren't here yet, but the satellite is in orbit. I received its signal, and though I can’t transmit back, with any luck,” His expression turned grim, “Luck… yeah... not for the others. But if the VTOL craft didn't sink too deep, they might be picking up the distress signal it's emitting.”
Octavia bit her lower lip, catching on to the human’s loss. She and everypony else who made it had also suffered terrible loss, and now it left her with mixed feelings. They all buried those thoughts deeply, be it through joking, running for dear life, or just keeping busy with the camp building or food gathering. “Yes...”
“Hey... Better not delve on what happened. It’s in the past. Let’s focus on the here and now, and the future, Octavia.” They shared a weak smile.
“And let’s tell the others, because our hope is brighter now.”
With this, they quickened their pace to drop off the load and meet with the others.
On the northern side of the world, deep within the continent, there was the city of Canterlot. A white alicorn looked up to the sky. With the senses of a demigod, she noticed a new object in the sky, small, but there. Celestia did not know what it could be, but it had arrived recently, and it stole all her curiosity now. The Diarch even tuned out the unicorn adviser who been talking to her about some ridiculous proposal of Prince Blueblood, and without even paying attention she had already shot down the proposal. She knew him and his tendencies to try and get as much as possible at expense of others.
“And then that would sum up–”
Celestia interrupted her advisor. “Noteworthy.”
“Yes, your highness?”
“Could you please deliver a message to my sister that I'd like to meet her in the observatory tonight, instead of the royal hall.”
“Yes, of course, your highness.” Noteworthy stopped for a moment then asked, “What about the proposal, your highness?”
“Put it on hold. Blueblood and his proposals are, without exception, nonsense.”
Noteworthy chuckled at this, and they both knew it was true. Celestia faced her and laughed as well. It was one of many of the Prince’s attempts to rip off the state, and unsurprisingly, he hadn't learned his lesson yet. It was so transparent and pathetic, he became the joke of castle.
“Is there anything else for today, my dear friend?” Celestia asked, in a kind tone. Even though her advisor kept all formalities, they were close. “There’s nothing else left for today, your highness. It’s a delightful surprise.” She smiled, as it meant she could take it easier as well. Being an advisor for Celestia meant there was no rest, and a little room for leisure was always welcome, considering the nobles gave more than enough headaches to both her and her ruler.
“That's a relief to hear. Now, my good Noteworthy, would you mind sharing a cup of tea and some idle chitchat?”
“Of course not, your highness. I’ll call service to bring the tea.”
Celestia smiled and made her way to her favorite resting spot. While waiting for her faithful advisor to return, she wondered what the object in the sky could be.
“I'm still kind of confused about what these satellites are and how you’re able to communicate with them,” Midnight said, trying to wrap her mind around the concept. Without magic involved, it just seemed strange.
“It's technology, Midnight. Think of it like how you use magic to sum up your strange things.”
“Right...” said the batpony, with a bit of a frown. “Just like being a cyborg is technology.”
“Yup,” Dave replied, putting on a fake southern accent. Just then, Trixie got his attention.
“So, how long could it take for a rescue to come?” she asked, tilting her head.
“It depends, but if they picked up the distress signal of the wrecked VTOL craft then we can expect it within a week, at least. If not, we can wait it out for quite a while. All I can say is that my fingers are crossed.”
There was a short silence as the ponies got used to the human terminology, but then they nodded in agreement.
“So, it would be a good idea to prepare some sort of sign, just to make ourselves more visible. How about rocks? They won’t be visible at night, but it should be fine in the daylight,” Octavia said.
Trixie let out a sigh. “That will be a chore, but Trixie doesn’t mind so long as we get off this island.”
“Now hold on everypony, would you guys take us back to Equestria?” Vinyl interrupted.
“Now that’s a good question. I’m not entirely sure... Well, eventually yes, but how quick is another story. Nonetheless, you wouldn't be in the wild. Food, shelter, and bedding would be covered.” With a little pause, he added, “Though we’d want to stick together, and if needed, request it.”
“I hope you aren’t implying they would eat us,” Octavia said nervously.
“No, that wouldn't happen, but the scientists might get worked up. New intelligent life forms can make them... 'high,' so to speak.”
“Trixie would not like to be dissected as part of a biology class, thank you.” She gave Dave quite a stare.
“We aren't barbarians.” He held up a hand in defense. “But you can expect blood tests, EMR and DNA tests, along with a quick explanation. So, not to give you the wrong idea, EMR stands for Electro Magnetic Resonance. Basically, it allows one to peek into the body at any level, without being touched. As for DNA, it's the blueprint of all living things.”
“They better not even think about it, or Trixie will plant her hooves into their skulls.”
Dave could only give a nervous laugh. “Easy there. I'll be sure to stick with you, and not many are on the world, so it’s likely they’ll want me to.”
“Well, that’s not entirely reassuring, to say the least.” Octavia glared at Dave.
“I can’t deny it. Though, if you feel the risk is too big, you can always hide, but then you’ll be on your own.” This put an uneasy frown on all the ponies. The island was more than dangerous. “Yes… potentially from one frying pan into the next, but I'm confident they won’t want to start contact with a new civilization on the wrong foot. Plus, I can always replay my memories.”
They blinked at this.
“Technology. I'm a cyborg, after all.”
“Well, I suppose the outlook isn’t bright no matter how we look at it, but being alive and safe counts for something,” Midnight said, now the focus of attention. “I just don’t wanna end up in the middle of the ocean again, waiting for it to end. I wouldn’t wish it on anypony else, either.” She stretched, still working out muscle pain from her incredible exertion.
Vinyl put a reassuring hoof on Midnight’s shoulder. “Don't you worry about that. Things are getting cooler and cooler each day, and once I can lay my hoof on some electric instruments, it's party time!” She then gave a wide grin.
“I think the staff might run for their lives once you start playing, mom,” Dave teased.
Vinyl glared daggers at him for several seconds before the frown turned into a smirk. “You’ll see the power of wubs, gramps.”
Everyone laughed while Octavia facehooved. Afterwards, the group began its preparations for the night. Fire and food and stories of their own were shared, along with hope that things would turn out well.
High above the ocean, a small automatic blimp was traveling at full speed towards the location of the downed VTOL craft, surveying the surrounding area. It picked up another airship far below, and quite a large one at that.
The other airship was old fashioned, and the drones cameras zoomed in. On closer inspection, it had somewhat of a victorian era look, being built from wood, other natural materials, and sporting steam engines. The midsection had a large banner, with a light blue base and white stars around the center. Dominating it were two equine-like figures, one white and one dark blue, both with wings and horns, circling around a moon and a sun.
The next thing that got the interest of the machine were small creatures flying and landing on the ship. After a quick readjustment and zoom, it found small flying horses: pegasi. The airship and its interesting occupants were completely oblivious to the presence of the drone as it flew near the edge of space at extremely high altitude, undisturbed by any weather. It relayed all the data back to base. Initial calculations confirmed right away the airship was inching towards the same area where the VTOL had crashed into the ocean many days ago.
The new directive soon arrived to the drone, and it stated to continue approaching the location and remain at high attitude, observing the larger airships activity.
Onboard the South Star air carrier sat a young princess, worried and fearing for the worst when the scouting party returned. They were supposed to rendezvous with the new luxury ocean cruiser days ago around these coordinates, but there was no sign of the ship anywhere. Along with the knowledge of a devastating hurricane had marched through the region around that time, she put two and two together and realized the ship must have sunk.
The theory soon turned to reality when the scouts reported debris floating on the ocean, along with scattered wood and other hoof-built materials. The very thought of thousands of innocent ponies perishing was like a sword of fire impaling her chest.
Twilight had been on many adventures in her life and fought many evils with her friends, but she never had to face such a loss. She could do nothing to prevent it, and she was almost completely alone. Only Rarity was with her, and that was because she wanted to have a look on the new luxury ship as she couldn't clear her schedule to board it for the first trip. It was a painful irony that she couldn’t travel with the ship, otherwise she’d be dead.
Twilight shook her head, thinking there might be survivors. There was an island nearby, and if anypony was lucky enough, they’d end up there and hopefully survive long enough to be rescued. That was the sole thought that keep her on her hooves, as the reality and pain it brought shook her to the very core.
“Faust be merciful on those souls… please...” she whispered, as her friend rested white hooves on her shoulders. They watched the sun set on the horizon, the hard truth of the situation setting in. Little did they know, things would get even more twisted.
Few hours later, back somewhere in the midst of the ocean on the human base's main control room. The personal work non stop to handle the information they have been receiving from all the scouting parties, but the investigation of team 4 was the most intriguing. The base general has arrived to oversee things from the control room. They all salute quickly when he enters.
“At ease man.” With this they return to their posts and continue sorting through the info and relay commands as they needed. The battle harden figure walks up to the main terminal and took his seat. The post had more lighting than most of the room reveal the old man features clearly, he had a bald head, pale skin and cold 4th generation military cybernetic eyes and wear his field uniform, decorated.
“Commander Kay, report.”
“Yes sir!”
“I did say at ease haven't I? Continue.”
“Sir, as you know 3 of our scout parties active and well, reached their destination regions and have perfect communication through the SAT-RC1 doing their exploration and have been updated on the presence of intelligent life on this world. They proceed with extra caution and all animal related activities being strictly limited to observation and for any closer investigation they need the approval of high command. They yet to encounter the equines natives.”
“Good, any more details regarding team 4 and the natives airship.”
“Yes sir, there are. We found a massive storm system in the region, and the remodelling of it's movement indicates it has had to cross the path of the VTOL craft near the island. Also our drone detected debris floating on the surface of the ocean, the debris organic based, wood to be precise.”
“So there is a chance the equines lost an airship, or a ship.”
“Yes. That is our assumption Sir.” A short pause, the General wave to carry on. “The drone also kept close watch over the airship, it's still heading towards the relative region of the island, its speed has not changed and we had no sign of activity of interest. The airship, by our observations is about Victorian age level in technology, but many symbols and decoration resemble to Renaissance era levels. However we found an interesting anomaly of energy readings, Sir.”
The General was even more interested and gesture to the commander to continue.
“The energy readings, if the drone sensor data are correct, emitting from this equine.” Images of a Lavender equine appeared on the screen as stands on top of an observation balcony of the airship, adored by jewelry. “We did detect this strange energy field everywhere in this world, and it's had no effects on us by our observations, but it's a new type of energy, force we yet to learn about. This being however possess an immense amount of it.”
“If I have to go by this image, and what you telling me, it's some sort of deity, leader of these creatures.”
“That is a fair assessment, we also found another, weaker signals after processing the data, and we happen to catch one with our cameras, beside the previous one who we gave the designation 'Queen'.” Another image appears showing a pure white native. “We gave designation 'Care Taker' after the following photo.” Next image shows the 'Care Taker' embrace the 'Queen' in a hug. ”The next images show an ability used by the two, they are able to levitate objects at will, short of like a telekinesis.” The following photos show as they float two mugs and drink from it, surrounded by light blue and lavender auras. “We haven't observed any other abilities yet, but there could be, considering the energies involved.”
The General nods. “Alright, so we have two, or better, three sub race, ones that fly, one with horn, and one who posses both. Pegasie, Unicorns, and.. Alicorns, if my memory serves well about mythological creatures.” The commander nod. “Alright, I take that’s all the info about the natives currently, how's the Titan Gate project?”
“It's near completion, Sir.” The commander brought up the report of the project. “It should be done soon, the final checks and works being made as we speak, shouldn't take more than a day or two then we can do the first test run.”
“That's a good news, once we have the gate ready, we can move assets far easier, I personally can't wait to get our hands one of the super carriers we built in the dry docks.” The General rubbed his hands together as soon he would get new 'toys' to play with. ”It will make everything so much easier, we can keep the main industrial manufacturing back at home while we can focus here on the civil and agricultural installations so can maintain the population far easier. Plus having heavy assets available is always good. Commander, please gave the orders for the final preparations, we will need the bay free so after the test run we can move the carrier, as well we need double time on the docks, at least one should be ready in a week so we can do maintenances as needed.”
“Yes Sir.” With a salute return to his post, the general brought up other less priority reports regarding the base and production.
The night was a calm, quiet night back in Canterlot, though not so for a certain royal sisters as they sit before the largest telescope. Minds racing million miles per minute.
“I've never seen anything like this before.” Spoke Celestia “I sense it earlier today when it moved to it's current place among the heaven. I though it might be yours Lulu.”
“It's not Tia, I would never make something so... untasteful and add it to my night sky.” Luna pause and thoughtfully rub her muzzle. “I think it's the gryphon’s doing.”
“It might be.. I’m not so sure, it not there 'style' of design, so to speak. And if so... How they move it to the heavens? And what it's purpose? Sure we will have to investigate it further and..”
The two siblings interrupted by a scroll materializing in the air, with a purple ribbon seal on it, marked with a bright star surrendered with five smaller ones. Before it could fall to the ground, Celestia aura captures it in mid air. Luna and Celestia look at each other, then the elder of the two proceed to open the scroll and read it.
Dear Princess Celestia
I have terrible news. Our new cruise ship, the Colossal Colt is gone. We have been waiting for the ship to arrive at the given coordinates but it's never did. We began backtrack there planed path, and we only found debris floating in the sea. We still looking for survivors, maybe some got lucky... but I’m afraid, as the time pass on the chances are less and less. We still have some hope left, there is a small island nearby to the path of the ship, and if the havens been merciful, some souls might find safety on the island. Currently we are on course to said island at full speed, once the dawn comes the pegasie guard will go out in pairs and search the open sea for any life boats. I just hope we'd find at least one soul.
I've never had to face such loss before princess, and I feel helpless, even as I know I do the best given the circumstances, I am unable to shake this feeling. I just hope I can give some kind of good news in the next letter.
Your faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
The two alicorn sister embraces each other afterwords, this was the biggest tragedy in a thousand years. The sisters even forgot about the mysterious object in the sky in their shock and sorrow as they made their way out from the observatory. They had to address their little ponies the next day and began an investigation what could go wrong, if that's even possible.
“Commander Kay.” The commander's turn around in his sit to see to his suburbanite salute
“Yes lieutenant?”
“We just recited two FBTT-VTOL-66 Iron Claws, Sir, as requested from Earth High Command.”
“That’s brilliant, we need those jets at a ready, especially we have a new secondary target marked by the drone and we wanna hurry.”
“Right away Commander.” the soldier left, retreat into the darkness of the control room. Not much later, at the side of the mountain where the base located, two massive, black jet rolled out, the ground crew in a hurry to prepare it to take off so they can race toward their goals in the distance.
The jet engines roar as came alive, blew the vegetation all around with strong turbulent wings as the bluish plasma exhaust lick the ground under the crafts. One by one the metal birds took to the dark night sky, meld into the darkness with their black painted frames. Gaining altitude as they shot forward and moments later breaches the sound barrier, shaking the land with a loud bang, followed moments later by the quiet of the night as they quickly disappeared over the horizon of the night.
Darkness, numb darkness all she could feel in her body in perfect weightlessness. She had no idea how long she floated in the silent abyss. It was, surprisingly smoothing, calming, cold. Then things became warmer, she began to feel again, first she felt her heart beat once more, weak, and labored, but there, then her limbs with the weight of a ton, numb and burning, each joint scream. Her chest rise and fall in a perfect rhythm she had no control over, constantly sending jolt of pain. She felt as she had been dried out, her throat, her lungs, skin, lips, like a desert that seen not a single drop of rain in a millennia. Then the smells and sounds began their assault, muffled, quietly, yet ear shuttering strength in them.
As time passed on, the pain became less, she no longer felt made out of lead, scorched alive by the sun inside out. The sounds around her made sense now, she could hear beeping in perfect sync with her heart. Could feel she is laying in a bed some short, tucked in, warm. She felt as life slowly returning into her body. She was alive. The memories began to surface, a mere glimpse of what have happened, the cruise ship, the storm, screaming ponies, the burning, blinding sun and the endless waves of the ocean.
She cracked her eyes open after long minutes of struggling. The light was dim, but still assault her eyes with pain until she could get used to it, the blurry view cleared up, yet what she saw made no sense first, she could not put her hoof on it what she saw with her eyes, until the wheels in her brain began turning. Above her, as she lay there, she saw a metal ceiling, nothing alike she had ever seen before, it was way perfect, smooth, shiny, clean lines where different elements meet, the light, like out from a scifi story. And so things after one another began registering to the weathered mare. She was restrained, could feel the strong belts around her hooves, she could feel the niddles in her forelegs, the tube shown down her windpipe as pumped air in and out with a choking, dry sensation now in her throat and mouth.
Lyra panicked now, and the heart monitor signalled this with a rapid increase in the beeping. The gag reflex kicked in, she tried cough only have pain surge from her neck. Tears rolled down her cheek as she struggled for a minute, and slowly tired out. She was way weak, her struggle was for nothing, remained as she was, restrained, scared, and with an unnerving feeling of being choked, yet she had air in her lungs.
As she was calm again, she look around and take in as much of her surroundings as she could. She could see a curtain on both sides blocking her view, the ceiling and wall behind and above her made out from metal with strange machinery attached to said wall above her head. Along the sides she could see bags hanged up with small tubes lead downwards, transparent liquid dripping at a slow but steady rate.
The mint green lyrist steeled herself. She had no idea where she was exactly, but she was in some unrealistically advance hospital, as much she understood. Restrained into her bed, a bed that was way bigger than her. It could easily accommodate a minotaur with space to spare, just by judging the distance of the two sides of the bed from her head. And Lyra knew for sure, the minotaurs are all, but advanced in medical sciences or have craftsponyship to do such quality bed or walls for the matter.
Who ever have found her, and she hoped, her friends, had no ill intentions. As she could feel in her guts, they not been any of the races of the known world.
Few minutes have passed, it didn't fully registrate for the unicorn when she began to hear voices, and trot closing in. The rhythm was similar to a biped minotaur, without the clop sound of hooves, it was muffled, kind of stealthy, sneaky. And the voices, was a conversation between two, one male and one female, and it was fluent Equestrian, but some words she could not understand at all.
“..So the unicorn regain her consciousness as seams..”
“Yes Dr Michael..”
And that moment two tall biped creatures came into her line of sight, being she had never seen before or heard of, towering above her. They both wear layers of clothes, with a large white medical coat on top. They had hands, but with five fingers, unlike minotaurs with their 4. They seemed to have bare smooth skin except for their head. Both the male and female face being obscured by a thin white mask. They also possessed some strange googles, she could see the lights dance on the surface, like miniature texts flowing occasionally. Lyra could see a strange flat device in the hand of the male, he lifted it up and began to make strange movements with his alien hands, like he would be drawing with simple stroking movements. Then the female leaned closer to her and spoke in a smoothing, calming voice.
“Good morning Minty. Hope it's alright if I call you this way until you can tell us your own name. Don't be scared, you are in good hands and safe, as your friends are, they all made it, and they will pull through as you do. You and your friends suffered serious dehydration and sun stroke in the small lifeboat where we found you. You likely feel weak for days to come with soreness in your limbs, but it will subdue.”
She leaned back as the male, the doctor began to speak.
“Hello, my name is Dr Michael, me and my colleague, Nurse Ururu will do a quick check up on you, don't be scared, though it might be uncomfortable. We will check on your muscles and stomach, take blood, urine and saliva samples as well check your vision, hearing and reflexes to be sure you haven't suffered any brain or other organ damage, now that you woke up from your short coma.”
The creatures wait patiently as a few moments later Lyra gave a weak but visible nod that she understood what they been saying to her. The lyrist felt somewhat relieved, her friends are alive as well, and they taking care of them all. Though she sure did not look forward to the medical check up, she always hate it. And she was sure any sane being, pony or otherwise, even the ones who practice healing and knew what all is about, hate it being on the receiving end of such procedures. As she finished with the very thought they began the examination while talking to her in a calming tone, explaining what they exactly do.
“Sir, one of the ponies woke up not long ago. Also our the other jet will arrive in 5 minutes.”
“Good, keep me posted on the events Commander Kay.”
“Yes Sir.”
The general just nodded, the light of the screens reflects in her smooth, google like cybernetic eyes as follow all the different events and operations in progress with a neutral, calculating look. Small miracles and good news were indeed good, but there was no time nor margin to make errors or have a slip in judgement, not in his position. He was looking at the newest report of the Titan Gate, which would allow transportation of large scale assets to this new strange world. And the first on the list was the super carrier.
The super carrier as they called it commonly, or by the proper type designation of NHC-350000 was a true engineering masterpiece. An 350000 Ton, 750 m long behemoth, not just able carry and launch fighters, but larger, heavier aircraft’s, bombers that normally could be operated from ground bases only. A crew consisting of 11000 men and woman, armed with 14 Hybrid Gatekeeper turrets, with gatling, rail, and multipurpose missile launchers. Situated behind the command tower she had midrange cruise missile launcher racks with 6x18 cruise missiles loaded and ready, 12 of these armed with 3 Megaton pure fusion warheads. The ship was powered by 10 thorium based nuclear reactors, unlike the old uranium based ones, slightly weaker but far more stable and far more cost efficient in regards of the fission fuel. The carrier had it's very own production centers, able to produce not just fuel for the jets, but also ammunition at a steady rate if the resources was present. Furthermore they were able to manufacture spare parts for the jets as well after some reconfiguration. By all means it was a mobile base, and at times some even referred to it as a mothership based on scifi stories. It was the first of her kind, and they plan to build 3 more over the following years so they could have the necessary firepower to protect the last of humanity as made their way into this new world and restart.
The general gave a cold and sure smile, soon he would have a trump-card in his hands and god have mercy on the sod souls who dare to threaten the new growing colony of mankind.
The unlikely group of survivors was getting up as the sun rose. Dave, already up and began hail the incoming jet. And data transfer began in it's earnest. It was Vinyl who shot up fastest.
“Ahhhyeee! Good morning everypony!”
Boomed the DJ voice, Dave just shook his head and had a giggle as saw the others attempt to shield their ears from the assaulting volume the ever energetic white mare signal a new day.
“Come on lazy flanks, time to move them!”
“Trixie does not approve this type of wake up call...”
“What's wrong with that?”
Asked Vinyl with a shock on her face, Trixie shook her head, and just remained silent, getting up to her hooves.
“Vinyl Scratch...”
It was Octavia turn to sound her voice.
“Could you, please, moderate your self? I know it's morning and you are energetic, but please don't shout.”
“Awww, but where's the fun in that, in the slow wake up when we can party!”
The cellist trademark facehoof silently echoed through the morning beach as made it's expected appearance. Dave just laughed at this one, and, infecting Vinyl as well. Octavias tired, sleepy eyes dart between the two, and moments later she rose her right hoof to silence them.
“And no massage for you...” jabbed her hoof at Vinyl “or for you..” then at Dave “In the foreseeable future for this.”
Vinyl gave a slack jawed face which quickly turned into a putty face. The human couldn't hold it, burst out in laughter pointing at Vinyl. He was carefree, and why he shouldn't be, soon the team would reach the island. The avalanche of antics got broken by Midnight.
“Sooo... are your kin coming?”
She gesture towards the horizon and indeed, a small speck was visible, growing more and more as slowly a loud roar began fill the air.
“Yup, it's them! Time to get off of this rock, wouldn't you agree?”
The others been surprised, Midnight less so, as unknown to them she was awake awhile too, and saw as the human began giggling for no other apparent reason even before her very sensitive ears could peek up the distant roar of the approaching form.
“Oh you sneaky one, you have been having that.. wireless as you call it?.. chatter with them already, don't you.”
Octavia gave a smile and shook her head, and the growing smirk on his face was all the answer needed.
“That's one nice trick we could have a good use for the Guard.”
“Well let's see how things play out, it might be arranged, miss vampony overlord”
Midnight gave her trademark toothy smirk in response. By this time the roar of the engines has increased tenfold, and the jet was clearly visible in all her glory, in VTOL mode as made her descend to the island only a couple hundred meters away.
The little ponies watched in awe as a sleek black metal bird touched down, and the engines cut off after a few seconds later. Not that they have never seen a flying machine before, but this was compact, heavy, made from metal and other strange materials, and yet it is flown with grace. Then a ramp lowered from the belly of the beast, and so did the human step on the sandy beach. A scouting team, consist 4 spec ops, 2 doctors and 1 field scientist.
“Good morning lads!”
Shout Dave with a wave of his hand, the ponies quickly next to him, with hope and a slight nervousness as the new group made it's way towards them.
“Good morning Ice! I see you found new friends already, what about us?”
“Oh quiet you, Bulkhead!”
The largest of the group spoke, and he was truly big, towering over the others with a head easily. As they got close the features of the humans was now clear, Bulkhead, as like his fellow soldiers clearly had unaturalistic look to them. Lack of any heared and like their head made of strange materials, a combination of skin and metal plates, texture like a living skin, but with distinct lines running around where they put them together. Bit alarming were their eyes, or what was installed, with a slight glow to them, like goggles literally embedded into their skulls.
“I see you guys never change, I thought you switched to never generation Cybernetic eyes.”
“And lose out on the charming looks these babies give us? No way man. And i'm sure your little friends love them.”
The giant gave a big toothy grin of his, Dave and he did a bro fist. Then Midnight step forward as she looked up all the towering beings before her.
“It's a pleasure to meet you humans, I'd suppose this is an informal first contact, but I’m kind of representing Equestria being the captain of the Night Guard.”
Midnight rose her foreleg as Bulk kneel down and return the gesture.
“The pleasure is ours and we will look forward for a more formal meeting in the near future, which might be in two days time when your airship arrives here.”
This surprised even Midnight.
“How you know?”
Was all she could say, to give a voice to the other mares exact thoughts on this revelation. Dave just smirked just smirked and lip towards them 'Technology'. Trixie gave a smirk in response, the one that said exactly 'You guys and your fancy toys' as the response came from Bulkhead.
“Well why, we saw them on the way here, they had the same idea of this island and survivors as we did.”
He gave a chuckle, but soon his facial features grew grim, it was unspoken yet echo through the air, the loss of life, who didn't make it. And the very grief reflected in the eyes of the smaller ponies. While for the humans been only a few, a team lost. For them, an entire ship, thousands of souls, all lost, engulfed by the cruel ocean.
The group settled down, the doctors quickly examined the survivors who obviously felt a bit uncomfortable, especially when they checked the sensitive parts of the ponies, namely their horns or in case of Midnight her bat like wings, but they agreed to it, not misunderstanding their intentions. Non the less they amused mildly by the curiosity and enthusiasm of the doctors and scientist.
All the while the Spec Ops setup automated sentry turrets around their new camp, under the cover of the imposing black jet.
The group soon grew more as the two pilots join them.
Not to far off in the midst of the tropical forest cover a set of green eyes watched intently the events transpire on the sandy beach. After a long time stopped it's observation and vanished into the darkness of the forest with a weak, waspy like sound fade away.
Back in the medical unit of the humans base Lyra could stretch out her stiffen limbs. Her throat was still sore due the intubation form earlier. The mint green unicorn mare felt uneasy, after all she was among new, alien creatures, and she was far from free. The medical staff did remove the restrains, but she still had a long chain cuff on her left rear leg and binding her to the large bed. She was well aware they don't mean her real harm, but it was obvious too she won't see her home any time soon either. But utmost she was worried for her love, Bon Bon, who haven't woken up yet and was lying beside her not to far off.
It was one of the first thing she asked when they finally removed the irritating, yet undoubtedly life saved plastic tube. She was relived that she is alive and just next to her, but she did have bitterness in her heart seeing her special somepony in such horrid state. Then again Lyra her self wasn't in a much better shape to began with. She was still very weak and hooked up on different medial liquids and the needle in her foreleg was all but peachy.
On the other hoof she was amazed by the sheer technology of these humans. It was plain and clear as Celestias sun, ponykind was totally primitive in comparison, as well made them even more fascinating, they achieved everything without any magic. She now wanted to learn more of these beings, and not just waste time being bored for creator knows how long until they can get home to tell the tale.
She quietly watched as Bon Bons chest slowly rise and fall in rhythm with the aid of the alien machinery, accompanied by the sound of the heart monitor beeping. With a deep sigh she turned her head now to the opposite direction where the other survivor laid. She was a pegasie mare with a bit darker, sandy yellow coat, her head was wrapped in bandages, but who observed carefully could catch a glimpse of her gray mane. She was in the worst shape among the three, as she had a serious head injury when they stumble upon her on the cruiser, fleeing for their dear life with Bon Bon. They of course did not leave the injured mare to her faith as they made way to the lifeboats. The memories of that stormy night bubbled to the surface in the form of tears. Lyra shut her eyes tight, try as she might force the tears back, and she failed miserably, and sob quietly in the dimly lit room, alone, between her love, and a stranger.
The shadowy creature speed through the thick forest, it's buzzing wings carried it with quite a speed and astonishing agility. It's eyes glowed greenish in the shady forest, without blinking at all, dead set on destination not to far ahead. The massive cave entrance was situated in a small valley at the foothills of the volcano. Well hidden from praying eyes not just by the forest and terrain, but by a smaller waterfall, spray water vapor into the air.
The small changeling flew through the water curtain in haste, right inside the pitch black cave. With practiced maneuvers navigated in the darkness as got deeper and deeper into the cavern system which now had some weak greenish light emitting from green crystals embedded to solid rock walls. Soon tell tale of buzzing echoed through the dreadful place as got closer to the heart of the hidden hive.
From the dark passage the lone changeling emerged into a massive cavern, once filled with molten rock, now instead filled with the predatory changeling swarm. Lit by massive green crystals, the walls covered in different kind of organic pods, some contain creatures, ponies, gryphons, minotaurs, zebras, others contain growing changeling drones, all different types. Some smaller with out horn, simple workers, then the drone soldiers with wings and raged horn. Then the largest, the juggernauts, towering changeling breed dwarfing even the largest of the minotaurs, with easily twice the size. Fewer in numbers but far more important, hive mothers, with strength and control of the queen herself, yet perfectly enslaved to her omnipotent will over the changeling swarm. Then the most disgusting and numerous, miniature nerve parasite. The new evolved changeling swarm, all grew in their pods while some of the first newborn attend to the rest along side the old drones, whose slowly die out, from sheer hunger, yet work until they perished. Their corpses collected in by tentacle beasts, pets of the bug like equines, digest the fallen, and nourish the yet unborn generation.
At the center stood a massive tower, host the largest green crystal, covered in veins of biomass, veins that run through the whole cursed place, feed the tartarus spawns with the raw natural energy it possessed. And at the very tip of this monumental crystal rest the most important pod, floating in it's flustering fluids, non other, then Queen Chrysalis.
Her eyes closed, asleep, dreaming, dreaming the sweetest nightmares her wrenched mind conceive as a large green crystal grew in her chest, pure and sharp, glowing bright, once her black heart pumped. The changeling queen was going through a painful transformation, in pursuit to reach godhood, to become immortal like her swore enemies, the alicorn princesses.
The Queen turned abomination of nature cracked her eyes open, green light emitting, green flames flickered from her eyes, boiling the disgusting fluid she was floating in. Slowly, a truly disturbing expression creped on her face, small ripples of sheer pain ran through face as an airy, morbid, sadistic smile formed.
All living things in her vicinity, inside the massive cave trembled in fear, eyes of the unborn changelings shot open and shone in perfect unison with the other, tending members of the swarm. Tears began leaking from the cocooned victims as they too cracked their eyes open. All deafen by the soundless laughter of the soon reborn, awoken queen. Echoed through the minds and shattered all lingering free will, silenced all pleas for mercy be it for death, or freedom. This was the moment she has been waiting for, longing for so long, the start of the new age of the changelings. Now fed, powered by the very natural energies encompass the whole world around them. Fuelled by blood thirst, desire to rule over all, kill of the weak, and feed upon their corpses. The Queen of the changelings already flavored the sweet taste of vengeance and victory in her mouth as the massive cristal underneath her, and the one in her chest, began pulse, like a new heart with an immense outburst of energy.
Confused ponies, all lined up and staring in silence, was all reflected in huge, regal pink eyes of Celestia. The princess of the sun was frozen in the midst of her speech atop a podium, as she became impossibly paler by the second. As a long, painful moment stretched even longer, her very heart forgot to beat, skipping beats by the dozen for nearly a minute from utter fear that washed over her. She felt a ripple in the manna space, as the natural energies came to life and carry the soul resonance of one being, a being she knew, and now she feared. The wrenched Queen of the Changelings. She couldn't tell where this sudden and fleeing power surge emerged, but terrified her to the very core. All other thoughts banished into the depths of her mind as with a few slow sway she regained her self. The meaty organ prisoned in her ribcage began beat frantically, partly to make up for the idle time it been frozen, and partly to flee, run for dear life, away from the creeping, bad omen that just jolt her.
The crowd of ponies looked up at her, they saw a Celestia they have never seen before. They were horrified by the sight, and none less confused about what could strike their beloved ruler in the middle of her speech regarding the tragic events transpire few days ago.
Guards who finally broke free from the shock and rushed over to the alabaster alicorn to support their shaken ruler. They frantically questioned Celestia what have happened just now, is she alright or should they call the doctors. Soon the entire room was filled with panic as the princess been escorted to safety, and in the wake of this sudden sudden incident more questions arose.
Back in the human base, the operators as well the present senior officers were stunned. Their eye in the sky picked up a massive energy signature, one they did detect before but was mere ambient, background energy, a bit similar to the one they discovered before, possessed by the ponies. In their mind they could only compare the energy spike magnitude to a small tactical nuke been detonated. And the origin of the signature was the island where the first rescue has been sent. Despite all this, all other readings been normal, was perfectly natural and devoid from any anomaly. Uneasiness covered the room, and soon enough the General spoke up.
This was the one sentence surprised the four ponies, dryly stated by Bulkhead, along side how the humans move in unison, and as their mood change, like a switch being flipped. The group was enjoying some good food and chatter together when suddenly all this happen. Before they knew it they carried by the biped creatures on board the strange black flying machine.
“W-what is happening?!”
Blurted finally Octavia, looking up Dave with evident fear and confusion in her eyes, one that Midnight shared, well minus the fear that is.
“I don't fully know, but our satellite picked up one enormous energy outburst on this island just a few moments ago, and we been ordered to retreat at once. We will return to the base.”
This explained the situation to the ponies, why exactly they being hauled around by the humans, but sure it did not calm their fears. They share a quick look among them self, and silently agreeing, they are still better off with them, then whatever abomination spooked the humans to leave. With the pilots lead they began strap into the seats, and since the said seats not been designed for the smaller ponies, they held in place by a human. Octavia was sitting in Daves lap, while Trixie with the scientist named Erick, Vinyl with Bulk, and finally Midnight with Amanda, one of the doctors in the group. Moments later the engines roared to life and vibration could be felt through the whole jet.
But then something other surpassed the noise made by the jet, loud, rapid bangs, like cannon fire, yet not alike any they heard before.
“We got company!”
Shouted the pilot as a black creature jumped at the noise of the jet, staring them all in the eye as it's horn began glow green, just to be mowed down by one of the automatic turrets the team deployed. Then the humans got their answer to one of the unasked questions as Midnight hissed.
“..Changelings.”
The majestic jet took off and left a dust storm in it's wake. The thunder were the burst fire of the automated weapons as they flashed up now hidden in the sand cloud, and the rain was the bodies of the ambushing insectoids by the dozen. Their green burning magical missiles leave small scorch marks on the hull, but nothing of significance as the machine was designed to withstand burning hot plasma currents at extreme high speeds. Soon the ruckus died down as the bugs overpowered the sentry turrets, and their true prey escaped.
Aboard the Equestrian airship things too, got hectic after Twilight passed out for no apparent reason. The crew moved around like busy bees, fulfil their duty in this new state of emergency. One particular pony was in a rush, like many other, her coat was cyan greenish, Mane in colors of sandy yellow and in a stunning Mohawk, and she wore shadow bolt uniform. She was in fact a member of a relatively new personal elite flight team of Luna, a team that didn't exist before but Luna come found of the very idea to make it happen after got a better knowledge of Celestials famous team, the Wonderbolts.
Lightning Dust quickly made her way towards her desired destination, she entered swiftly into a large storage cabin as she gave a quick glare backwards. Once inside she gave a sly, barely noticeable smirk as her eyes flash green for a short moment. She quickly placed four small green crystals on the floor among the boxes, and they hummed to life shortly after. The light emitting from the crystals intensified as soon a greenish mist began forming in the middle, with it's own light, and moments later it exploded in a bright flash.
The shadow bolt stood there unphased by the event, and her smile grew even bigger. The smoke began to clear up as the crystals in the corners cracked up and fall apart. At the center stood five changelings. They had sleek black bodies, their black chitin shone in the ambient light of the storage room. They all sport four insectoid wings on their back. A sadistic smirk spread across the room, filled with thirst for blood and death, showing of their impressive fangs. Lightening Dusk licked her lips as her eyes light up green again for a short moment. The others vanished in a column of green flames as transformed into other members of the Shadowbolts. One by one they left the storage room, disappeared into the dynamic chaos of the airship deck.
“General, the team is on it's way, back to the base, they have however been attacked by insectoid like creatures, about the same stature as ponies.”
The General nodded as he listened to the report of Commander Kay as the footage was shown, recorded by the various cameras present at the recent event, being mounted on the Iron Claw jet or on one of the many sentry turrets the team deployed in foresight of any trouble.
“They seem able to use magic, firing plasma discharges at will. Very agile and fast, but have no means to protect them selves from our small arms...”
“That we know of, Commander, I presume they have more tricks up their sleeves than what we had a short glimpse of just now. I want a full scale scan of that island, and our own islands as well, by yesterday. Is that clear Commander?”
“Sir, yes Sir!”
“Also I want all military personnel to mobilized, anything that capable release such enormous amount of energy, regardless how exotic it may be, that matches of a nuclear weapon are a serious threat.”
“That is already been done General, as well I command the teams to double their efforts at the Titan Gate.”
“That's a good thinking, boy, we might need that carrier and her fire power soon. Dismissed.”
Kay salute to his superior and return to his section while the old man, began to make his report to the high command back on Earth along side with recommendations how to deal with this threat and request of more assets to do so.
Just a little over the horizon, away from the main island commanded by the human forces, lay a small natural ring of towering cliffs, rise high out from the ocean. It was a corpse of an once volcanic island, but was reduced to this in it's sure to be spectacular death when the volcano exploded many millennia before. Just like one island done this back on Earth around the 19th century. Now this place was full of life again, as it was the very foundation of a new imposing structure, the Titan Gate, an enormous trans-dimensional gateway. The VTOL crafts flew around it along side, while many, alike small ants, engineers and other technicians worked on the superstructure. It was like a massive sphere, spawn 2500 meters in diameter in all directions, formed from colossal pillars. Yet it wasn't one of it's kind, it's sister situated back on Earth, and both were ready to be used. At the base of the pillars massive energy capacitors lay, each stretch 480m above the water in form of spiky towers, all around the construct, under the deep water, blueish light began to emit as massive fusion reactors come to life, to power up the massive device. The teams who worked on the field began to retreat to safety with the help of the VTOL transports, there was plenty of time still before the gate would be activated, but even then, the surging energy was dangerous.
“Bonny!”
Cried in pure joy Lyra as her love finally open her eyes. Bon Bon was not amused, not at all in the state she found herself, restrained, sore, and the plastic tube down into her lungs. But she was glad as well, alive and in one, and her ever so energetic mare friend bounced up and down on the other bed. She was limited in movement and the tube was a true bother, but she did face her love, her eyes shone from the so called liquid pride.
When Lyra calmed down a little she explained all the things happened since she woke up, all about these humans and how they took care of them. Lyra was excited, but some degree of uneasiness was present, and Bon Bon share that with her. She gave a weak, experimental tug on her bindings which held firmly, she just let go, she didn't even need the effort to breath as the uncomfortable machine took care of that.
Soon the humans who cared for them enter, earn Bon Bons and Lyras attention.
“Good morning Miss Bon Bon...”
Greated her the male, the Doctor who's name was Michael if she recall to Lyras over energetic storytelling not that long ago.
“... My name is Dr. Michael, and in charge to take care of you ponies, but I guess Lyra already told that didn't she?”
Finished the Doctor with a knowing smile as those earned a light blush from the lyrist, and a knowing, slightly annoyed, yet loving eye roll from the candy maker, related to her love antics. The towering human continue from then on as he got closer to her.
“I suppose it's best if we remove the intubation so you can breath freely as well talk. We already examined you earlier, and we gonna do a quick run through now as well. We are also going to remove the main restrains, but for the time being will place a cuff on one of your rear leg for security reasons, which I hope you understand. We are new to this world, and it's wonders and dangers and safety of our own civilians is top priority.”
After a short pause and thoughtful look, Bon Bon gave a clear, slight nod in understanding the situation. The two humans afterwards began what they sought to do in the first place.
“Hello, name is Nurse Ururu, I am going to take out this plastic pipe. It's going to be quite uncomfortable but try to bear with me and remain calm. It shouldn't take to long, and afterwards you will be free to speak. Also I got some water to ease your thirst once this is done.”
The nurse spoke in a calming voice, Bon Bon spared a quick glare to Lyra who look at her. The knowing look alone told thousands of words, that this going to be uncomfortable, and that she is in good hands. Bon Bon eyes then meet the Nurse's and give a reluctant nod. She did not look forward to this particular part, and in her mind she questioned why they had to remove this thing after she woke up and not while she was still out and cold. The nurse then leaned forward and with practiced moves removed the offending plastic from Bon Bon windpipe, all the while she began gagging, and blink a tear or two. Once the pipe was finally out the nurse began to pat her on the shoulder while she had coughtfit for a minute. Bon Bon composed herself, as the nurse wiped the drool off from her lips and moments later offered her a glass of water. She eyed the transparent liquid greedily, and was happy she could drink. The nurse gave her the water little by little.
“There there. Now this is out of the way just relax, the rest shouldn't take long, nor cause any discomfort. Your throat will be sore for awhile and should take it easy with talking.”
“..Hope..never.. again..thanks.. though..”
Cracked Bon Bon's voice long last, each syllable was a pain on it's own at this point, but it was indeed done and over with.
“It's quite alright, and sorry for the discomfort this caused, but all of you been in a truly horrible state when we picked you up at the middle of the ocean and we didn't want to risk things.”
The response was a nod this time from the light cream colored equine. It was quite an awkward sensation as she felt the humans touch her with their strange hands. First they have undone the restrain on her left rear leg and she could feel the cuff clicked securely in it's place. She watched it intently, it was a heavy duty, strong cuff, made from metal that she couldn't quite place anywhere in her mind, was quite light, unlike iron. She looked up and the nurse gave her an apologetic look. One by one the other restrains have been removed and now she could move around with far more freedom. She quickly began to nurse her neck, the sensation still very much vivid. With a tired look and a deep, but the hopeful sight she flopped her head back down to the comfortable pillow. She turned her head towards Lyra and return a weak tired smile to her energetic love who been smiling at her.
“..Hey..”
She waved with a hoof to Lyra who giggled now and waved frantically back. The humans watched the spectacle and gave a warm smile. These ponies looked fascinating and quite innocent and carried all the range of emotions, qualities, intelligence of humans. The very genuine, forbidden love the two mare displayed was heart warming.
They quickly explained things to Bon Bon, if in need of anything to press the button on the side of her, on a small remote that was linked to the bed itself with a flexible and sturdy cable. All the while the doctor done a quick check on the now vivid mare. Once the nurse tucked in Bon Bon they excused them self and left with a wave.
Bon Bon sat up a little, supported herself with her front hooves, yet careful not to unlatch the infusion needle in still in her hoof and turned towards to her minty friend. All the while Lyra laid on her side to face her.
“I was so worried for you Bonny..”
“I know, and I know you been bored to death too, have you not?”
Lyra gave her a brief pouty face before smiled again as roll her eyes.
“You have no idea... But I was so worried! It's a true relief you're alright and up again.”
“Hehe, it's good to be back among the living, but sure wasn't fun to wake up now. It's even beats a hangover after one of Berries big get togethers.”
The two mares chuckled at the memories, and as it died down they both had a pang in their hearts. They missed home and did so as they truly regret ever board that forsaken ship. They shared a bittersweet look. After all that nightmare they have been through, back and forth to and from Tartalus in the past days waiting hopelessly for their faith claim them. They still had each other, and they have been saved, true not free at about that moment. The two lovers slowly drifted off into their dreams.
Back on board the Iron Claw jet as it cruised through the skies high above the ocean the occupants have had a long conversation. The humans intently listened to the ponies, as Octavia and Midnight retold their not so favorable encounter with the bestial beings, called the changelings.
“..So they really feed on emotions?”
Asked the scientist of the group, Erik, truly amazed by the absurdity of the fact.
“Yes, indeed they do.”
Reinforced the claim made by Midnight just few moments before. Then all eyes shifted towards Dave who was deep in thought and was about to speak up.
“..Now.. This is stupid. And let me explain it..”
He looked down to Octavia who look up, with an eyebrow raised and a clear look to carry on, before he return his glare to the others present.
“If I, would feed on love and other positive emotions, yes I sure would go out and try to do what they did, as in impersonate other ponies to gain said 'nourishment', or better, try to earn said love... But to go out and do an all out invasion. Cause serious trauma and harm, and earn hatred instead of love, make myself public enemy number one. Just to ease the hunger these buggers have been cursed with, and just a little. And for a short time on top of that is truly moronic. Pardon my language.”
Every one nod at that in agreement.
“I do see their side of the coin, but they took the possible worst path, desperation or not, and they got their chitin arse handled to them on a silver plate, in quite a spectacular way I might add. And what an ironic one at that, blasted by love to heavens.”
Midnight gave a smirk the way he expressed his feelings about the story, it grew even bigger after the 'silver plate' part. Dave just shook his head. The sentiment was shared by the others around, changelings pose a real threat and was clear not to be taken lightly.
After the apex of the changeling issue the conversion took a new direction, as Trixie voice her concerns about their own safety.
“Now... Trixie feels kind of unease..”
“Why?”
Asked Bulk with calmly and as earn the undivided attention of the rest.
“Will we be prisoners now or guests?”
Trixie got to the point straight and an uneasiness covered all present, ponies and humans alike. Especially as two groups found the other interesting and pleasant. Bulk broke the silence after a moment, displeasure evident in his rumbling deep voice.
“I'm afraid it will be the former, for the time being... I don't agree with it, nor anyone around, but the higher ups are crazy about security at the moment, and now with a clear, intelligent, and very aggressive race on the horizon who can shape shift... well... said craziness gone overdrive... Sorry.”
It took a few moments for the equines all this sink in fully. Dave looked down to Octavia who tremble slightly in his lap, he rested his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Then he spoke up, his voice was somewhat quiet, and filled with guilt about how things stood at that moment.
“Don't worry though, you won't be harmed.. I know this won't be a pleasant period, but you'll be alright. Just cooperate and things will go easy and try to avoid confrontation, so they won't see you as a threat. Also we will give our own voice to the matter to make sure you treated reasonably.”
“If I to guess, you would be held together, so you would have each other companion all the while have a degree of freedom. As I know the other team successfully saved three other ponies, stranded in the middle of the ocean in a boat. They sure to be in the medical ward and hopefully recovering at fully.”
The group of ponies perked their ears up to the last bit, it was a good news, others survived as well, and saved from a truly grave fate. Midnight was the most affected by this news, as she was trapped on a piece of floating debris for days before the island came to view. She looked down to the floor, guilt wash over her as she remembered the poor elder pegasie mare, Cloud Counter, how she didn't live to see the safety the island and how she was forced to leave behind her body to be claimed by the endless waves. She was shaken out from the bitter memory by Amanda as she leaned forward a little to meet her yellow draconic like eyes.
“Are you alright?”
“Heh.. just a bitter memory.. I was stranded on a piece of junk in the middle of the cursed ocean. So I know very well what those three had gone through.”
“Oh..”
Was all the girl could say as a response to the bat pony. The bitterness was quickly shared by ponies and one human who had the charming time enjoy the wrath of the ocean and it's mighty storm that faithful night. It was Trixie again who broke the rule of the silence.
“Well, Trixie thinks things could have turned out much worse.. If we wouldn't have met up with Dave... we sure be dead, easily many times over, and decompose inside the belly of those beasts.”
Vinyl, who was quiet all along made her presence known with a loud gulp. The memory floating helplessly inside that monstrosity, unable to move, or breath, the constant feeling being burned, drained of energy, yet kept alive somehow in the disgusting fluid just chilled her down to the bone. Trixie gave a knowing look to her as she also had the goose bumps run up and down on her spine.
“Indeed..”
Dave then gave a sly smile and poke Octavia on her shoulder, as he always found the bright side of life even in the face of the grim shadows of events.
“..and you might still be enjoying that nice aerie view, would you not, my little pony?”
Octavia shook her head as chuckled to the remark. And made her comeback quick.
“Oh Gramps, just shush, I know you envied the view I could enjoy hanging upside down while you run around the thick and nasty jungle.”
Laughter erupted at the ongoing banter between the two, and by that the mood lifted some. No longer all grim and gloomy, yet it was far from blue skies and rainbows. With refreshed spirits they looked forward to what fate will deal to them in the near future.
High above the clouds in the quiet night, the airship of Equestria basked in the light of Princes Luna. The panic from earlier have subdued, but that was only the surface. Ponies went to sleep, and sure their mind did not agree with such choose, their body gladly followed, considering the past days vain search efforts topped by today when their beloved Princes Twilight Sparkle collapsed for no apparent reason.
Inside of her personal quarters was Twilight, and she was phasing up and down, and she had reasons to do so. Being literally knocked out by an energy surge created by none other then Chrysalis herself, and said surge knocked out two other princesses and paralyzed her mentor in the middle of a conference about the sunk ship. But now there was more, Twilight 6th sense picked up an insanely powerful energy source, crystal clear of it's whereabouts, and said energy just kept building up, steadily, with no indication when would stop. And this power source was totally different from Chrysalis and her changelings, and from any arcane magic she knew for the matter. She just had a guess that these two are not related, but worried her immensely.
“Twilight, Dear. Please stop, you have been doing this for hours now, you haven't eaten nor drink anything today, you should rest a little, and no, not sleep but sit down.”
Plead Twilight friend, Rarity, the fashionista. Twilight stopped for a moment and look at her friend, she did realize her friend is right and she is back to her old, panicking self she worked on hard to leave in the past.
“You're right Rarity... It's just all these things been a lot, and all almost at once. I just feel like I have niddles poking me everywhere.”
“Dear what about we investigate that magical power source you noticed?”
“We really should do but would take days to get there.”
“And teleporting my Dear? You are an Alicorn now, and the Alicorn of Magic, I’m sure you can easily pull it off.”
Twilight blushed a little to the suggestion, mainly due that her friend believed it would be an easy task, but it would be quite a teleportation to pull off, especially if she planned to take guards with her.
“Well, far from easy, Rarity, but yes I can do it, but would drain me of power especially if I to take some guards with me.”
“Well then, all the more reason to get a good rest and eat, so you have good strength to do this. Now sit and eat.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, Rarity behaved like a loving mother. Rarity giggled at this, as rose her front hoof to try and hide it like a lady. Twilight gave a smile and long last walked up to her bed and sat on it, didn't take long to all the tiredness catch up with her. And so did her empty stomach make it's complain, quite loudly. The young alicorn blushed. A few minutes later she was eating a large salad to silence the complains of her stomach, all the while Rarity giggled at her which was infectious, and truly, she needed it badly, a little unwind under all the stress of the week.
Back at the human base all the was working hard, they been refueled and rearming the Iron Claw jets. It was a hectic, organized chaos. The speed and accuracy the man and woman work was a sight to see, and the Ponies watched it in wonder through the windows of their new residence.
They have been glad they the way the treated them, even though they been captives then guests, the room they all shared now, with Bon Bon and Lyra was huge, the beds were huge and quite comfortable, they got large portions of food, more than one could easily finish, water and other drinks. They had an 'entertainment' center set up with a large screen and it had voice command. The room also had a bathroom attached to it with shower. As they learned it was one of the offices which they converted quickly to accommodate them and they couldn't complain.
However there were a few unsettling things, one such was they all had to wear now a strange metal collar, it had some lights on it, glow green, and they figured out quick green means good, red bad as they had a brief walk through the massive base, and they all agreed better not experiment with them. They the fact they been 'monitored' non stop with their cameras, as they explained to them, they see and hear everything in the room, as well had some detectors to monitor magical activities, such as a levitation spell or Midnight hover in the air.
For the time being they watched the outside, they longed for it already, but had to give up on it for now. A smoothing music played in the background which they choose after some arguing.
Octavia looked around for a short time to see what the other ponies been up to. Vinyl and Lyra were particularly glued to the window as their eyes almost popped out. The elitist smile as she remembered Vinyl exact words 'I died and this is heaven!' and she could see why. Humans relayed on technology alone, and said technologies been electronic, even some of the simpler tools had some sort of electronics in it. Like seriously, a thermometer to check body temperature, electronic, it was truly strange for first. Then she did think some more about it, and they had the same things, just with spells and magic, though by far not as common as the humans did.
Trixie and Midnight on the other side watched intently as well, but they have been less 'spell bound' by what they see like the other two. What she could see in their eyes was clear, awe and fear. They very quickly realized these humans, few might be, could easily outmatch them, and not just in terms of physical strength, in almost every field, medicine, engineering, transportation, construction, communication, entertainment, and war. That part chilled her too down to the core. They just had guessed, but the long, very advanced looking missiles they been hauling and about to be stored inside the jets, as they learned they call them, were sure not for fireworks. The large yellow circle mark with a smaller black at the center, surrounded by three trapezoid like black shapes gave off very bad vibes as Midnight put it.
There was four of these missiles, two for each jets, and they could clearly see the amount of care 'handling' these was far above any other. Octavia inhaled deeply, she knew as much as the others this was meant for the changelings, whatever they do at the end. They clearly knew they didn't want to be on the bad side of the humans, who, as they understood, would go to any lengths and through any means to secure the safety and future of their civilians.
Octavia then turned around, Bon Bon was sitting next to Daring Do. Unlike popular belief, she was a real life pony, and the stories they made were kind of over execrating of her work as a treasure hunter. She was a thirty years old, energetic archaeology professor who enjoyed roaming the world instead sitting at home, Canterlot roaming through dusty old scrolls. She had many big discoveries before which earned her the admiration of the scientific circle, while also earned a 'fantasy' world which she was the heroine of. Now she laid there, hooked up to the advance machines of the biped hosts, still cold out, in a coma. As the humans told them, her body was recovering nicely ever since she received the needed medical attention, but they couldn't tell would she wake up from the coma, and if so, when.
Bon Bon was a fan of the stories written about the enigmatic mare. Octavia herself were a fan of the stories, not as much as some fans, that go out to conventions or camp before the book store days before the release of a new Daring Do book, but she always got her hoof on the newest book and read it when she had free time to do so.
There was a knock on the door and it slide open shortly after. Dave entered with Ururu, the nurse. The human leadership agreed to let them look after the ponies and stay with them so the two races could learn from each other until better ways could be arranged.
“Good evening all.”
“Good evening grandpa.”
Octavia greet Dave with a smile. He gave a putty face in turn for a second until it morphed into a smile.
“Hey D, what's all this fuss out there?”
All present in the room turned towards the cyborg, waiting for an explanation. He rubbed the back of his head.
“Well, by order I shouldn't say a word, but considering those bugs as much hostile towards you as to us if not more, I think I can safely say they getting ready to strike them, but still can't go into details.”
“Trust me, there is not better changeling then a dead changeling.”
Midnight words were plain and clear, and the other ponies agreed, not all fuelled by such spite but fear of these insectiods was evident in them.
“Well I take your word for it, their behavior so far didn't said to be otherwise. But we are watching them closely now with the satellite.”
“Then you better hope you have flawless defense, these bastards are masters of disguise and deception, they not once managed to make our troops chase mere shadows.”
The bat pony had an expression tell thousands of words, she despised them, and she was infuriated, humiliated, all these emotions radiated out from her. There was then Lyra, she haven't spoken a word but her golden orbs told enough as well, as Dave learned she had quite an unpleasant run into the changelings before. Bon Bon with out a word jumped off the bed and trot over to her loved one, and hug her thigh, she gave her an apologetic smile. The room was silent, Ururu in the mean time made her way to the comatised pegasie, her primary charge was to look after her, though the other ponies, especially Bon Bon was more than eager to help any way they could to look after her.
“Well let's say, we have our own 'bug sprays' to deal with them.”
Then Trixie spoke up, and unusual to her she spoke in first person, give an extra weight to what she was saying which even the humans picked up.
“I, for one, happy I never had to deal with them, and do hope it would stay that way, nuff said, the current way they act is totally wrong, but that I chalk up to their evil queen who have a command over them. During my travels I did come across stories of stray changeling who some how broke off from the hive mind, and they acted on their own, and truly integrated into the society, with out causing harm, sadly very few cases that I know of, and hope there is more. My tip, kill of the Queen, Chrysalis, and sure majority of the changelings will break free and become individuals.”
“Well that's good to know, but at the moment this does little help, we need a fix on the Queen, and take her out, but with out that we have to mow the rest down, and not likely they would let us just waltz up to the Queen while under her influence.”
Replied the cyborg, the ponies nod silently to Trixies words.
“I do hear you, and I can agree, extermination is quite a drastic measure, but right now that’s the option seam to be, and even when they come free, there will be tension for a very long time, for many generations, the acts they commit, even if not on their own free will, or out of desperation. The memories of the victims will remain vivid and ablaze. It will be a true challenge for all parties to step over this, but yes, that is the civilized way, way, a very difficult way, but if achieved, it will worth it.”
“You talk about this quite casually, like you've done it before... right...”
Retort Lyra, with some spite in her voice. Earn the eyes of all in the room.”
“To a degree yes I do, as I lived up for more than 200 years, and in the bulk of it, after our world got demolished by the asteroid we, who survived, gone through hell back and forth each minute. Could you imagine, cannibalism?”
He gave a minute, there was pure ice in the voice of him. Lyra gulped, and held her breath, so did the rest.
“I gonna blunt here... And I gave the story to Octavia before in big lines, but with out the true details. Before the asteroid hit, we lived at the peak of our civilization, issues there of course due to our own greed and carelessness. Over 8 billion people, yes, that is a lot of zeros. When it hit, it only killed 3 billion right away in the blast, earthquakes and fire it caused. And they were the lucky ones in a sense. The rest died slowly, from the never ending winter that followed, starvation, illness, war. War for survival, for the smallest scrap of food, water, warm. Your ally could turn on you a split second and kill you in cold blood those times. It was the Armageddon as they called it, the end of the world, yet we survived, now only 12 million people. We are all struggle to survive, and we are all committed at some point unspeakable acts to do so, me included. And yes, I been forced before to said cannibalism, eat a flash of a fellow human being corpse to survive. Later on we shred our own flesh to be replaced with metal and wires, become more machines than humans just to survive. Many you see around, 2/3 of them been through those times like myself, and we hate it, curse it, and we wish nothing more then bleach it from our existence, and we can't. I wanted to have children, family, simple life with a house or an apartment, work and travel occasionally around the world. Now that I am a machine almost completely... I can not have any family. Now what drives me is the hope of a better future, not for myself, but for that little children, that few who spared of go through the hell, go through to sacrifice all their humanity to live, so they have a chance to have a family, and could enjoy normality, a livable life. This alone is why I still strive, live, fight, and crawl, and still have my sanity, which many others had long lost, and quit, commit suicide or go berserk and at the end get killed. To put it bluntly, every one of us drenched, no... Drown in our own blood, and yes, we steeled ourselves who is here now and alive, to forgive, and move forward for a better future, for the greater good. And that is the hardest thing to do, but we managed it. It hurts us inside every day, every moment as we draw breath, but we accepted the pain, and moved on. We killed many times over if you will, but now, now we have the chance to rise again, reborn, and we take this chance. And yes, I know exactly how hard it is, it's like a second nature by now.”
The room was silent, such silent one could hear the rustle of the fur strings of any pony as they moved as much to take a breath. The heart beats, labored as struggled to continue on under the torrent of emotions or how the wheels of the minds of the small quadrupeds came to a complete halt. One could hear it all. Daves outburst was unexpected to all, and Lyra regretted to be unexpected to all, and Lyra regretted to her speak up the way she did, even though the innocent ponies could not even phantom even a bit what they just heard. Dave drew in a calming breath several times, he did not shout, she didn't raise his voice, yet it was deafening, the words could kill, dripped thick from acid. The little mint unicorn drop her head, with tear drop to the ground, she couldn't bare to look him in the eye. She filched when she felt a hand rest on top of her head, and she did not move, just tremble.
“...Now my rational self knows, you could not possibly know all this, and you had your own hell, in a way. And would be a lie if I say I feel peachy as of now, and I know you all but peachy your self... though lets pass this... stray emotions, can cause more grief, pain and horror, be it big, or even small, than any conscious, planned malicious thoughts and actions. Our own history, even before the asteroid is an everlasting proof of it... That much we have finally have learned as a species, and we learned it in the hard way, the worst way. You yet to go through such, and I don't wish you ever have to, but assured, you better learn from us this very lesson, so you're able to stop the cursed cycle of hatred if ever to born, small or big.”
He kneeled down to look into the golden orbs. After a little time, Lyra nod. Dave then get a hoof rest on his side, then another on the other side. He looked around and found Octavia on his left, and Trixie on his other side. He gave a weak smile to them. He stood up then and inhaled slowly.
“I gonna go for a walk for a few hours. In need for some fresh air as now, I be back later.”
Ururu nod as his eyes meet hers, then he left.
The ponies came to realize, which Octavia already had a fleeting idea, a concept. Humans were both angelic and noble, and demonic and unspeakable at once, and that they go to any lengths. No, even go beyond what even be possible, to meet. No, surpass it far beyond, to achieve whatever they desire or will to protect.
The nurse gave an apologetic look to the ponies, then she returned beside the pegasie laying in the bed, ever so calm and free of the world in her coma.
“Sir, our UAV blimp peeking up a large cloud of heat signatures approaching the pony airship.”
All the personal in the control room looked up from their own terminals and divert their eyes towards the operator who broke the serenity of the room.
The swam was closing in on it's target rapidly. The very green eyes of the black insectoids glow with acidic hatred, thirst to the shred the ponies, limb to limb with pure joy. Joy and blood thirst one and same with the Queen's will.
One lone unicorn guard noticed the swarm, but before it could alert his fellow ponies, His throat has been sliced, and the next thing the yellow red colored pony knew was weightlessness as he began falling towards the deep ocean, he jerked his head and do the only thing he could. To live up to his name, Solar Flare. In his very last moments as the world blurred out rapidly, he focused all his energy into his horn and released it just as the world died for him as he died for the world.
