The magical world of Equestria has been peaceful for so long. But will a simple excavation mistake lead to the once-prosperous world's demise?
Equestria has long been a world of peace and harmony. The many races, though once at war, now are united in a magical industrial revolution, thanks to two discoveries: The magical leylines that form a grid around their world and supply them with a constant stream of magic, and a mystical metal called Arcanium, which is almost indestructible due to its magical nature. Thanks to these two discoveries, production of many new conveniences, like giant machines that harvest the magic energy from the leylines to use for other new inventions, is in full swing, and leylines and Arcanium deposits are dug up every day. However, one day, a simple mining operation leaves an entire city destroyed, laid to waste by an ancient race of hyper-adaptive, territorial, hive-born creatures called Slivers. With the new enemy emerged from it's ancient slumber, the world of Equestria must unite against this powerful, indestructible menace. Now, 5 years after that fateful event, Equestria is in turmoil, with only a handful of sanctuaries remaining for the collective races of Equestria, and resources are scarce, snatched away by the Slivers. Now, a handful of soldiers are on a mission from the Princesses themselves: Find the central hive, and destroy it. But when the enemy is using their own weapons against them, how much will they sacrifice for a mission that's doomed to fail?
"Ugh, This heat is killing me, Goldy. Why do the leylines have to be so Celestia- damned hot?" Asked an earth pony miner named Boulder Breaker as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
"I don't know, Boulder, do I look like a unicorn?" Replied a well-muscled Pegasus miner named Goldy Rolla, Who looked over her shoulder as she said that to point to two unicorns in lab coats that were jotting down notes. Boulder laughed.
"If you were, you wouldn't be doing this cruddy work. For all their talk about "unity", they seem to like leaving the hard work to everyone else." Laughed Boulder. Suddenly, a brick wall of a stallion, named Wash, walked over to the two.
"Hey, guys. Are those Survey League eggheads still scribbling notes over there?" Asked Wash.
"Yeah, they've been going for two hours. Maybe they're not even writing notes, they might just be checking out the mares." Replied Boulder.
"Perverts." Said Goldy simply. Boulder and Wash laughed at that, and Goldy smiled slightly.
"Ah, come on, Goldy, not their fault you mares insist on such skimpy work attire. Who wouldn't pop a peek every now and again?" Laughed Wash.
"That's because these leylines are fuckin' hot! You try working around these places with an extra layer of fat! We mares have it hard too, you know..." Goldy shot back, causing Wash and Boulder to giggle. Suddenly, a random Miner called from the background:
"Yeah, but you mares love it hot and hard!" At this, Boulder and Wash burst out laughing, but Goldy scowled, tempted to kick the two hysterical stallions in their groins. Finally, they recovered from their mirth, and returned to work, picking away at the leyline walls, excavating Arcanium ore from them, and loading them into carts. Suddenly, Wash hit something, and a section of wall fell away, revealing something odd: A smooth, metallic surface, with weird lines all over it, like it was liquid at some point, then polished once it became solid.
"Hey, guys, I found something!" Wash called, getting the attention of not only his friends, but all the miners in the area. as the entire workforce flooded to the scene, the Survey League unicorns took sudden notice, and pushed the crowd aside so they could see.
"What's the disturbance? Why have you all stopped working?" One asked.
"Wash found this thing. You two are nerds, what is it?" Asked Boulder. One of the unicorns looked over the odd surface, tapping it with his pencil. The metallic surface made a deep, hollow chime, but did nothing.
"Hmm... probably an Arcanium bubble, likely a geode of sorts. You, Wash, was it?" The unicorn asked.
"Yeah?" replied Wash.
"Break it open." Commanded the unicorn.
"What!? Why me!? That thing might be filled with lava, or aliens or something!" Protested Wash.
"Oh, just do it, you little filly. You're embarrassing these fine squints." Boulder told Wash.
"Scientists." Interrupted one of the unicorns.
"Eh?" Asked Boulder.
"We are scientists, not "Squints". We got enough of that in high school, let's act grown-up for a few seconds, hmm?" Replied the unicorn.
"Now, the object, Mr. Wash?" Continued the second unicorn.
"Oh, fine." Sighed Wash. The miner raised his pickaxe, then brought it down on the surface. It did nothing but chime, so he hit it again, and again, and again, until the surface finally cracked, then fell away, revealing utter, suffocating darkness.
"Ugh. Hey, anyone have a light?" Asked one unicorn. A miner tossed him a lighter, and the Scientist lit it, reveling the entire "bubble" for what it was: A giant room, with bubble-like structures all over it's interior.
"Mother of Celestia, It's some kind of artificial structure! Phillidus, get a phone! The other guys have got to-" The unicorn was cut short by something that made everyone gasp: A long, sharp, silvery appendage pierced the unicorn, and dragged him screaming into the darkness, where a sickening, wet "Splat" ended his screaming. Everyone, including Philidus, stared in horror as soft clicking and chittering emanated from the hole, and it got louder. Then, a griffon got the good idea to get away from this thing, and every one else followed suit,fleeing the horrible, insect-like sounds coming from the structure. As they stood on the cliff, the catwalks attached to the ravine wall fell away, revealing more of the structure, and scythe-like appendages appeared over the edge. Then came silver, serpentine creatures, their bodies metallic and segmented, and some had two scythes, while others had claws, and some had no appendages at all, just great, toothy maws. All of them, however, had long, flowing tendrils coming from their backs and heads, and eerily chittered and clicked, unnerving the ponies. At first, the odd creatures did nothing, seeming quite interested in the ponies. Then, one crawled forward, up to the unicorn.
"Aww, I think the little bug-lookin' thing wants to talk!" cooed Goldy. However, this was not the case, for as soon as the unicorn dropped his guard, the "Bug lookin' thing" put a scythe in his head, fast as lightning, then cast the body aside, and began to morph before the worker's eyes: It grew two hoofed legs, it's long, tapered head shortened and rounded at the tip, a long, twisted horn grew out of it's forehead, and two large, glowing blue eyes opened on the front of it's "face". Soon, the weird thing looked like a twisted version of the unicorn it just killed, but with scythes for hands, and a "mane" of tentacles, and it grinned, revealing millions of long, needle-like teeth.
"I told you there'd be aliens in there." Said Wash to Boulder and Goldy.
"Yeah, yeah you did..." Replied Boulder. Suddenly, the attention of the swarm before them was focused on the workers.
"I now suggest... we slowly... and very, very carefully... RUN!!!!!" Yelled Goldy, grabbing her friends' arms, then pulling them with her as the workers fled, and the alien horde charged, slaughtering every one they got to, and devouring their corpses.
Finally, the three got to the armored vehicle, and thirty aliens were charging at them, scythes raised. Immediately, Wash tried to hotwire the vehicle, but the strange creatures were piling on top of it, trying to pry it to pieces. Luckily, the vehicle was made of Arcanium, and withheld their attack.
"Come on... Come on..." Muttered Wash.
"Uh, wash, could you hurry? I think they found out that the windows are just glass." Said Goldy the aliens poked inquisitively at the windows.
"Got it! Alright, Hold on, guys!" Said Wash as he got to the wheel, and put the pedal to the metal, swerving and shaking the creatures off. As they drove down the road, The ground began to rumble, and Boulder checked the rear-view mirror.
"Oh, shit..." He said.
"What, more of the little fuckers?" Asked Goldy.
"Nope, just one big fucker." Replied Boulder, adjusting the mirror for all to see. Indeed, The ground was giving way as a gigantic, worm-like creature, reminiscent of the smaller creatures from before, crawled its way out of the earth, roaring at ear-splitting volumes.
"Wash, step on it! That son of a bitch looks fast!" Cried Goldy.
"I can't! This ain't a sports car, you know!" Retorted Wash. Suddenly, the monster stopped, and let them go.
"It... it stopped! We're safe!" Cried Boulder. Then, the ground gave way, and another worm-like monstrosity burst forth under the armored truck, devouring it whole.
All witnesses gone, the slivers emerged from their stronghold, now quite angry. Their home had been defiled, and they were going to exterminate every thinking creature on this planet until they found the one responsible. One important-looking one, Chae-surr of Gamma Brood, stepped forward, and he let out a mighty battle-cry, raising his scythe into the air, holding the head of the first of his kills; the first pony to bring light to their lair. The others heard this cry, and raised their own, newly-evolved appendages into the air, roaring the Battle-cry themselves. As they fell silent, Chae-surr heard a groan, and turned his head to a wounded pony, female, by her pheromones. The pony tried to crawl away from them, but Chae-surr put his hoofed foot on her back, and she stopped, tears in her eyes. Chae-surr grabbed the pony with one of his clawed arms, then lifted her to his face.
"P-please, no... I have a familly... Don't kill me!" The mare begged, sobbing, but her words meant nothing to the warlike sliver. Without a sound, he stabbed the blubbering mare through the heart, and she fell limp in his grasp, dead. Chae-surr then tossed the body aside, and began his march to the nearest city, army in tow.
It has been five years since the war began. The slivers took territory, and yielded none. Many nations fought the ancient menace, but none succeeded. In the end, the survivors flocked to pony territories, the last bastions of non-sliver sentient life. The ponies, with use of the leylines and the Arcanium they supplied, fought the slivers to the best of their abilities, using advanced magical weapons, but the slivers evolved too rapidly, and soon, none of their weapons could harm them. However, the ponies discovered something that gave them the upper hand: Slivers could not break Arcanium. With this knowledge, the ponies constructed massive walls with the metal, and lined the ground within their walls with it. Now completely defended, the few strongholds that remain live in relative ease, but travel and trade between the strongholds are near impossible, manageable only by powerful magic from the leylines, which the slivers also use to get into the strongholds sometimes. Now, this day, Celestia and Luna have tried every way to get rid of the slivers, but with no success, for their hive spans the whole planet itself, right beneath their hooves. With dwindling options and resources, The princesses have sent raiding party after raiding party, all armed with Arcanium armor and weapons. However, very few have returned, but the information they bring is quite valuable, as it gives the princesses a knowledge of the inner workings of this giant hive. With the war at it's peak point, fate has turned its hand to the Princesses and the surviving races: The expeditions have revealed a leader among the slivers: A hive mind of sorts. If they captured or killed it, the rest of the slivers would likely scatter and die out. This was too good an opportunity to pass up, so Celestia and Luna jumped on it, but they first needed a champion, a warrior who could fight the sliver horde without fear, and without failure, and they knew just how to find one. Now, this is his story. Not the champion's, but the young stallion about to become the champion. Let us begin...
Naga's reach stronghold, 6:00 am, 3 days before the summer solstice.
A young stallion woke up in his home in Naga's reach, a stronghold built around the east end of Neigh York. It was in a sorry state, his town, but people were happy. The slivers tended to avoid salt water, so this stronghold had the least sliver sightings in all of Equestria. The young stallion, named Dusty, walked outside, greeting the passerby as he walked to the market. Everyone knew and liked Dusty, for he was quite the hero. Because of this, he always was greeted as a friend as he walked, and got discounts whenever he bought from the local merchants. Dusty was the ripe age of 18, the perfect age to join Celestia's army. For as long as Dusty could remember, he had always admired the soldiers, and loved hearing about the exploits of the soldiers, like how many slivers they killed, or which cities they re-captured from the hyper-adaptive bastards. Dusty always wanted to be a part of that, and to take their world back from these monsters. He hated slivers with a great passion, ever since they murdered his mother during the emergence five years ago. He longed to explore the world, and find the Sliver that orphaned him and his sister, Neia, who was currently at home, bedridden with a nasty sliver parasite. The doctors said they could remove it, but it would take a few days to create the medicine that would force the parasitic sliver out of Neia's body. So now, Dusty did what any good older brother would do, and went out to make meals for his little sister. Finally, he reached a cozy little store by the harbor, which sold the best ingredients for his homemade soup.
"Ey, Dusty!" Called the store owner, Bargain Brandon. He was a big minotaur, but he was pretty friendly, and was seen as the father of the town, due to the fact he kept every one fed and clothed.
"Hey, Brandon. Got my usual ingredients?" Asked Dusty.
"Yep, right here." Replied Bargain Brandon, handing Dusty a large bag of produce, herbs, and spices, and Dusty handed the minotaur a handful of coins. "So, how your sister doin'? Still got that bug inside her?" Asked Brandon.
"Yeah, but the doctors say they'll have it dead by tomorrow." Replied Dusty cheerfully.
"That's good news, if I've ever heard any. Well, better get back to Neia, she's probably starving." Said the jolly minotaur, and Dusty thanked him and left, running back home at full speed. It was a very sunny, warm day, and seagulls cluttered the docks, looking for crabs, fish, or bread bits. As Dusty was about to enter his home, however, the seagulls suddenly flew off, squawking in terror. Every citizen looked around in terror, as this meant a sliver invasion was imminent. Suddenly, the harbor surged with displacement as seven large, fish-like slivers jumped onto the docks, flashing their metallic scythes in the sunlight as they selected their targets. Dusty grabbed his weapon; a large sword, forged of arcanium, the last family heirloom he possessed. The sword belonged to his great-great-grandfather, A knight named sir Isaac Soot, and drew the blood of countless slivers, and was about to kill seven more. As Dusty yelled, charging the group of seven-foot-long TideDweller Slivers, He heard a familiar roar: Bargain Brandon had joined the fray, his trusty steel warhammer in his hands. The Slivers split up, opting to capture as many citizens as they could before vanishing into the harbor. Dusty didn't know why Slivers opted to capture, or what they did with the ones they did capture, and he didn't want to find out. Quickly, he decapitated one, while Brandon mashed another into green-and-silver pulp. The battle continued, and the two remaining TideDweller Slivers retreated, taking no one with them.
"Damn, that's the third time this week..." Brandon Panted. "Don't these bastards know that no means no?" Dusty grimaced, gripping his sword tightly.
"No, they don't know. And they never will, until someone demonstrates it to them." Spat Dusty.
"Well, those two worms got the message. Let's hope it stays that way." Sighed Brandon.
"Yeah... Thanks for the help, by the way." Said Dusty.
"My pleasure. Couldn't let you have all the fun, after all! Someone's gotta keep that reckless nature of yours in check!" Brandon Laughed, and Dusty laughed with him, before gong inside to feed himself and his sister.
Hive Heart, much later
Chae-Surr of Gamma Brood gazed in disappointment at the two TideDweller Slivers before him. They had failed a simple task, and he ought to have sentenced them to death. However, they brought him an interesting story: A hero lived there, and he was quite powerful. Chae-Surr heard tales of this hero, and how he pulled a Parasitic Sliver from his own body, and somehow gained sliver strength from it. He dismissed the two TideDwellers, and returned to his thoughts. This hero, he possessed such strength, strength that would serve a better purpose aimed at the other ponies. If not that, he had to at least find a way to destroy this hero, lest he become a problem. Chae-Surr sat upon his throne of surface-dweller bones, thinking of his next course of action.
Naga's Reach stronghold, the next day.
Dusty awoke to a knocking at his door, which also woke his sister.
"Uh? Dusty, who's at the door?" Asked Neia tiredly.
"I'm checking, sister, go back to sleep." Called Dusty, as he opened the door, revealing a griffon in a trench coat and a beak-like plague mask.
"Eh, can I help you?" Asked Dusty nervously, intimidated by the griffon's cold, emotionless aura.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry, quite hard to hear with this mask. Here, let me get this cursed thing off." Replied the griffon, who then removed his plague mask, revealing an elderly, but wise-looking griffon.
"Much better, Now, I am Doctor Allswell, child. Is your sister home? I've caught wind that she has a nasty little bug inside her, and I have the medecine ready to remove the blighter." Explained the Griffon as he stroked his beard.
"Um, yeah, Neia's upstairs. Come in, Doctor, I'll show you the way." Said Dusty, confused by the odd doctor.
"Good lad. Now, let's proceed, I would like to take the specimen back with me, for learning purposes." Explained Doctor Allswell.
"If I may inquire, doctor, why were you wearing a plague mask?" Asked Dusty.
"Ah, yes, well, You can never be too careful when visiting a patient's house, Now, the patient... ah! here she is! Okay, lad, you may want to leave, the procedure's going to get bit... ugly." Doctor Allswell explained as he snapped on his plague mask and a rubber glove. Dusty nodded and left the room, and waited. Three hours passed, and Doctor Allswell finally walked back out of the room, carrying a small, struggling, shrimp-like creature, but with a tapered head, and tentacles on its back.
"Eugh, what is that?" Asked Dusty.
"Huh? Oh, this is the little guy that's been giving you two so much grief. Took me three hours to get him out, but here he is. Hmm... Celestia's scientists have always wanted a live specimen for study. I think I'll sell the little guy and make a fortune!" Explained the doctor.
"I'm not going to ask how you got that thing out of Neia..." Dusty said softly, feeling sick looking at the filthy creature that had been feeding off of his sister.
"Well good, because that's my personal secret. You know, Celestia has been wanting a lot of things lately... A champion, in particular. Believe it or not, I heard about your little brawl with those seven TideDweller Slivers. You have some real potential, lad." Allswell told Dusty.
"Uh... Thanks?" Replied Dusty. This was too good to be true. Celestia was looking for a champion, and a complete stranger says he might have what it took to achieve that end?
"No problem, lad. Your sister is unconscious, by the way, turns out the little bugger latched to a major artery, and the medicine knocked her out. She'll be fine in a few hours." Allswell said, grabbing his coat and heading out.
"Wait! Don't I need to pay you, or something?" Called Dusty.
"Nah, boy, this little sliver will pay the bill for you. Until next time, Dusty!" Called the doctor before he flew off, leaving Damien with his thoughts. A few hours passed, and Neia stumbled down the stairs, healthy, but still so dizzy, she was tripping on her nightgown.
"Well, look who's just in time for dinner." Said Dusty, a hint of smugness in his voice.
"Good, I'm starving. More soup, I take it?" Asked Neia.
"Nope, veggie burgers." Replied Dusty. Neia almost tripped in surprise.
"What? How'd you manage the money for the bread?" Asked Neia, shocked. Dusty laughed.
"Well, the good doctor Allswell saw it fit to make his procedure free, and I thought that, with the extra money, I'd buy something nice." Dusty explained.
"Why? What's the occasion?" Asked Neia, confused.
"What, can't a brother make his sister a nice dinner every so often?" Asked Dusty.
"Sister, stop using that damned scrying spell!" Said Dusty.
"I have to! You wouldn't ever tell me otherwise..." Retorted Neia as she bit into her burger.
"Neia, I have to do this, for us, for the world." Said Dusty.
"No, you only want to do this because of mom! You keep thinking about the world, but what about the community you've protected? What about our friends? What about me?" Asked Neia fiercely. Dusty looked down, unable to respond. "Dusty, we need you here, with us. I'd rather have you here, alive, than out there, where the slivers are guaranteed to eat you alive." Finished Neia, and Dusty gave her a happy look.
"Okay, Neia, I'll stay." Said Dusty. Neia gave Dusty a relieved look, and they ate in peace. Then they finished, washed their dishes, and headed to bed. Night fell over Naga's reach, and Dusty awoke at midnight, gathering his stuff, then climbing through a window, into the cold, windy night.
"I'm sorry, Neia... But I have to do this, If not for the world, then for you." Dusty thought as he slipped into the night, Determined to reach Canterlot Stronghold.
Celestia stood on her balcony as she gazed upon her lavish city of Canterlot. For years, this stronghold held up against the mightiest sliver armies, and not even their Besiegers, the most destructive of their ilk, could breach its walls. Of course, they still dealt with sliver platoons that were sometimes teleported into the city via the very leylines the races of Equestria so relied upon, but they usually dispatched them all with relative ease. However, they were far from safe, for as long as slivers remained, their walls were always expected to collapse, one way or another. However, after so many years of thinking, Celestia finally had a plan. She and her sister, Luna, would host a tournament on the summer solstice, and invite heroes from across the world to participate. The winner of this contest would be their champion, and would lead her final, most thought-out assault on the massive sliver hive that spanned below the surface of the planet.
Celestia had heard many tales of aspiring young heroes, all of them quite unique, from all corners of the crumbling world. One, so she heard, even pulled a sliver parasite from his own body, and gained the strength of a megantic sliver, and the speed of a bonescythe sliver as a result. She had never heard of such a thing happening, but it was still quite interesting. As Celestia gazed into her city, she hoped that he, among the many other heroes she'd heard of, would show up to compete. Seeing the moon hit its highest point in the sky, She flew down to the courtyard, and looked to the tournament area, the very area that once was her royal gardens, now reduced to sand and fine dust from years of failed sliver incursions. But despite the place's sad history, the fate of Equestria would be decided here, and the final battle could be waged after. The excitement was palpable, but the princess of the sun knew that she had to rest, for she need her energy for tomorrow. After all, her public expected a royal princess, and the appearance required rest.
The next day
As Dusty marched up the mountain leading to Canterlot stronghold, he wiped some sweat from his brow. He saw the shining walls in the distance, and knew he had reached his destination. He continued his path, but wondered why he hadn't seen any slivers during his trip.
"Maybe they don't go out at night..." Dusty thought aloud. Suddenly, Dusty heard a loud cry, and turned his head in time to see a unicorn run right into him, knocking them both down. Dusty then, after shaking his head, groaned as he got up, and looked at the downed, terrified unicorn that so hastily ran into him. She was dirty and ragged, but obviously quite young to be wandering outside the walls. In fact, she looked to be only 16, with a few bright pink highlights in her dark brown mane, and startlingly blue eyes. However, she appeared extremely hurt, tired and scared. Before Dusty could ask if the young mare needed any help, though, a horrible roar sounded from where the young unicorn came from, and a giant, worm-like sliver, it's back adorned with crystalline spines of various prismatic colors and bearing scythes larger than most houses, rushed forward, it's attention fixed on the unicorn. Not surprising, considering the sliver species he now saw, called 'Manaleech' slivers, obviously fed on mana, hence their namesake. However, Dusty drew his sword, and prepared to defend the mare, despite the fact that this beast was easily three times his skill level, and hundreds of times his size and mass.
"Get behind me! I'm going to kill this thing!" Dusty commanded to the downed mare, and the unicorn mare nodded quietly, still terrified. Suddenly, upon hearing his voice, the sliver took notice of Dusty, and roared it's horrible, ear-splitting roar as it charged the stallion, it's crystalline spines blazing with chromatic fire, and it's four gem-like eyes glowing with untold years of amassed power.
"Come on, ugly, let's dance." Muttered Dusty, undeterred by the massive sliver's display, and he then jumped as the creature dove at him, hoping to devour him in one fell swoop, and quickly landed on the monster's back, causing it to rear like some great beast as the great creature thrashed and roared in a desperate and epic final bid to be rid of the pest that had latched itself onto the fell sliver's stony hide. Dusty tried to maintain his grip on the sliver as the monster flung itself and thrashed and bellowed, it's screeching voice ringing violently through the air like grating metal and shattering glass, but he did not relent. Grabbing the chitinous segments of the massive wurm, Dusty slowly crawled his way to the beast's head, using the segments of its armor as handholds, and finally gripped his sword, and stabbed the giant, violent sliver in a blue orb on it's forehead, which was a Manaleech's only weak spot, as many heroes before had died to find out. But lo, at last, it's head finally pierced by Dusty's arcanium blade, The beast screeched loudly in dismay, thrashed once more as it spewed elemental fire into the air, it's last vestiges of life draining from the powerful, ancient sliver's mortal shell, and it then fell to it's side at last, finally dead.
Dusty, however, merely, jumped from the falling carcass as it dropped, and land but a few feet from the stunned unicorn teenager's own body, and he wiped a bout of sweat from his head, as if the epic battle he'd just engaged in was the most casual event in the world for him. But for the mare, however, the fight was unlike any she'd ever seen before, and she merely sat as Dusty landed, stunned by the display, unable to even speak. And so, when she did not, Dusty took the opportunity, and spoke first, breaking the silence between the two at last.
"Whew... That was quite a rush. You alright?" Asked Dusty as he held his hand to the stunned unicorn. The unicorn mare shakily grasped it, and Dusty hoisted her to her feet, though she still struggled to stand, still utterly shocked at the myriad of events that did transpire only a few moments ago.
"Y-yeah... That was amazing! Are... you a guard, by any chance?" The mare asked nervously, and Dusty merely chuckled at the silly notion, and replied.
"No, but I aim to be a soldier soon. Name's Dusty. May I ask who you are, miss...?" Asked Dusty.
"Sylvin. Mira Sylvin, priest. Well, apprentice, for now..." Mira said, blushing a little, and looking to her hooves.
"An acolyte? What are you doing in the wilderness without a superior?" Asked Dusty, surprised at her answer, and mildly interested in what she was doing outside the walls without an accompanying priest. Priests were common outside the walls, as slivers tended to avoid them due to their powerful holy magic, which slivers had little defense against. However, apprentices and acolytes were easy prey for any roaming sliver, and bandits, too, would gladly take an apprentice or acolyte hostage, rob them, or worse, especially young mares like Mira.
"Well, I was travelling with my tutor and a few others..." Began Mira defensively, as if Dusty had insulted her. "... But we were set upon by bandits, who killed the priests we were with, and they captured me and my friends, and they would have enacted some... plans... that they had for us, but then a large group of horrible, ugly slivers showed up, and me and my friends fled. I don't know where they are, but I need to get back to Canterlot to alert the castle of this." She finished. "Say, you seem to be headed to Canterlot Stronghold, too... and you handled that big sliver pretty well... could you, maybe, um, escort me, please?" Mira then asked shyly, blushing and shifting her hooves as she asked. However, Dusty merely smiled his usual warm grin, and patted Mira on the back, giving her his answer.
"Of course, Mira. We aren't that far; we should be there in no time." Said Dusty, and he then straightened his posture, and prepared to set off, Mira in tow. And the acolyte, without a doubt, was ecstatic at this answer.
"Thank you so much, sir! I understand how much this must inconvenience you..." Mira started, bowing, but Dusty immediately raised his hand, silencing the humble acolyte, and replied.
"Nah, no trouble at all. And call me Dusty, by the way." Dusty responded cheerfully. And as they walked, Mira began to ask Dusty questions to pass the time, which Dusty happily obliged to answering.
"So, why are you headed to Canterlot in the first place, Dusty?" Asked the former apprentice.
"Well, I'm here for the championship competition, of course! Any chance I can get to strike back at the slivers is good enough for me, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime!" Dusty replied with great enthusiasm.
"Why so optimistic? Every famous and skilled hero from the land, the whole WORLD, even, will be there, and no offense, but... I've never even heard of you." Commented Mira. However, Dusty simply chuckled, and replied to the inquisitive mare with a question of his own, and one that certainly changed her view.
"Well... You saw me fight that giant sliver first-hand, right? I think I at least deserve a chance to try, don't you?" replied Dusty. Mira was impressed by his skill, to be sure, but these heroes were legendary; tales were told of their greatness in bars, halls, storybooks, and so forth. Still, Dusty did kill a Manaleech Sliver in just a few seconds like it was just another lowly thrum, and it took at least two heroes, no matter their prowess, to kill a Manaleech: One to distract it, the other to actually kill it. Dusty was indeed quite something else... and that in itself sparked Mira's curiosity, inciting yet one more question from the mare.
"Yeah, I guess that was kind of awesome..." Mira replied. "... But I have to ask, how did you kill that Manaleech Sliver single-handedly? In every tale I've heard of those things, it always requires at least two heroes to kill one, no matter their skill or status. How did you kill that one so fast by yourself?" Mira asked, struck by Dusty's incredible apparent skill.
"I don't know, I guess the bastard was just tired." Dusty replied, quickly and simply, not losing any of his cheerfulness.
"Ah..." Mira replied, not believing it for a second, though she gave him props for humility and optimism, despite the fact that he was a terrible liar. Finally, the two reached the gate to glorious Canterlot, home of the Royal sisters themselves, and the guards upon the wall called down asking for the two's identities.
"Halt! What business do you two have here?" called one guard.
"I'm just here for the tournament, and to drop off this apprentice." Dusty called to the guards. The two guards suddenly stopped upon hearing this, and the three that looked down at him from atop the wall then whispered a bit, and after a while, finally broke up, and asked Dusty a rather unusual question.
"Was that you who took down that Manaleech down the road?" another asked, and Dusty sighed.
"Yeah, that was me. Why?" Dusty replied curiously. Suddenly, the gates slowly opened, and the guards beckoned them in, approving the two of their visit.
"Come on in. Welcome to Canterlot." called down the third guard, and Dusty and Mira walked inside with haste, hoping not to let any slivers in while the gates were open. Dusty was quickly awestruck by the magnificence of the grand city, though, and he stared in wonder at the grand city of Canterlot in all it's splendor, the heart of Equestria itself, and the final bastion of all that the world was, before the slivers declared their war on them all.
"Pretty, isn't it?" asked Mira, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yeah... No offence, but, Why are you still following me? Don't you have a church you need to report to or something?" Dusty asked.
"Ah, to hell with priest life. Besides, you look like you need a guide around here, and you seem pretty cool. I'll lead you to the Championship, free of charge." Mira said jokingly.
"Okay, I guess. Lead the way." Replied Dusty, and they both walked on, Mira stopping every now and then to point out something important or historical. Suddenly, Dusty's stomach started growling, and Mira laughed.
"Wow, did you eat anything before you got here?" Asked Mira, stifling a giggle.
"Yes I did, as a matter of fact!" Retorted Dusty, but his stomach growled in denial of his claim.
"Hold on, tough guy, I know a good place we can go before the tournament. Heck, I'll even buy." Said Mira.
"Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to..." Replied Dusty, looking quite embarrassed that he was letting a girl buy him lunch.
"Nah, It's cool. Consider it my thanks for saving me." offered Mira, and the two walked into a pretty generic-looking burger joint.
"Huh, neat place. I guess they sell pretty good veggie burgers?" Asked Dusty.
"Veggie burgers? What are you, vegan? I get the actual kind here." Mira replied, shocking Dusty.
"You eat meat? Isn't that, like, wrong?" Asked Dusty, causing Mira to laugh.
"Gosh, you're such a goody-goody! Come on, I'm gonna show you what you and the others have been missing." Mira said, gesturing to a spot next to her at a booth. A few moments later, a griffon waitress came over, eyeing the newcomer with interest. Then, she turned her attention to Mira.
"Hey there, Mira. The usual for you?" She asked.
"Yeah, and one for my friend here, too, Sheila." Replied Mira.
"Comin' right up, hon." Said the waitress, and she turned and walked toward the kitchen, giving the order to the cook. A few minutes later, two large burgers were placed in front of the two, and Mira rapidly tore into hers. Dusty, however, was a bit hesitant.
"Oh, come on, Don't tell me you're afraid of a burger." Mira groaned.
"I'm not afraid of it, I just don't think I can eat it. That used to be a living creature, you know?" Said Dusty, still hesitant.
"So? Slivers are living creatures, I guess, but you don't have any problems mulching them. Plants are alive, too, but you never ask if they want to be eaten, do you?" Mira argued through a mouthful of burger. Beaten, Dusty sighed, moved the burger to his mouth and bit down, looking quite impressed.
"Well?" Asked Mira.
"... This is the best burger I have ever eaten." Replied Dusty calmly. Mira laughed, and they finished their meal. After Mira paid and left a tip, the two walked toward Canterlot castle, where sign-ups were still taking place. As soon as Dusty signed up on the list, he accidentally bumped into another earth pony, but this one was light yellow, with a white mane and green eyes, and was covered in huge, golden armor, and carried a giant, golden spear.
"Oh, sorry, sir." Apologized Dusty, but the Stallion only smiled.
"Nah, it's alright. I need to stop standing around so much; this armor could hurt someone!" The stallion laughed, and Dusty laughed with him.
"So, You're here for the the championship, too? The name's Jordan, Jordan Lightkeep." Said the golden-armored stallion, extending his hand, Which Dusty shook.
"Name's Dusty. I look forward to competing with you, Jordan!" Dusty said cheerfully, and Jordan smiled. Then, he noticed Mira.
"Well, who's the mare? Friend of yours?" Asked Jordan.
"You could say that. I saved her from a Manaleech Sliver." Dusty explained.
"Yep, killed the thing dead, all by himself!" Boasted Mira, causing Dusty to blush.
"Wait, You killed a Manaleech? By yourself? I honestly can't find myself believing that, no offence to you, of course..." Said Jordan, scratching his head.
"It's fine, Mira kind of exaggerated a bit, I didn't take it down that easily..." Explained Dusty. Jordan smiled.
"Still, surviving a Manaleech encounter, let alone killing one of those bastards, is a pretty big achievement in itself. I can tell you're gonna go pretty far, kid." Jordan said, patting Dusty on the back.
"Thanks, man..." Replied Dusty shyly. Then, the announcing trumpets blared, and the royal speaker stepped onto a podium, a long speech in his hands.
"Ahem, announcing the first, and hopefully only, annual championship event, starring your princesses and loving rulers, Princess Celestia and Luna!" Then, two Alicorns stepped onto the balcony of the castle, both extremely royal in appearance and aura: Celestia and Luna.
"Fair citizens, and competitors..." Began Celestia. "I, Princess Celestia, have gathered you to test your abilities, to see who among you have the strength and resolve to carry the fate of our world, and the strength of my armies on your shoulders. I know you all to be capable, as you are the greatest heroes to walk these lands! Now, without further ado, let the the tournament begin, and may luck be on your side!" The princess finished, gesturing for the tournament to commence.
"Good luck, Dusty." Said Mira as she went to the stands to watch. The brackets then gave their names, and the competitors went at it. Dusty's first opponent was a fierce changeling assassin by the name of Dimir. Dimir fell easily to a few swipes of Dusty's sword, and Dusty advanced to the next fight. The next one was a minotaur with a claymore and a bad temper. The bull charged, But Dusty easily dodged his attacks, and the minotaur passed out from exhaustion before Dusty even landed a hit on him. Mira cheered from the seats, and the battles continued, getting tougher and tougher, until the final match-up was declared: Dusty versus Jordan Lightkeep. The met eachother on the field, but neither drew weapons yet.
"Well, I guess the thing about you killing a Manaleech Sliver was true; you got a lot farther than I expected!" Jordan congratulated Dusty.
"Thanks. If I had to lose to anyone here, I'd hope it was you." Said Dusty, and Jordan laughed.
"We'll see, friend, we'll see..." Jordan said, before Celestia interrupted them:
"Warriors, begin!" At that moment, both drew their weapons, and circled, searching for an opening. Finally, they both lunged at each other, Jordan being surprisingly fast and agile for someone covered in such heavy armor. But Dusty was faster, and he got Jordan across the chestplate, causing him to recoil, and Dusty lunged again. This time, however, Jordan was ready for him, and he blocked the sword with his golden pear, pushing Dusty back, then stabbing forward. Dusty avoided the attack, but barely. Dusty then launched a flurry of attacks he learned to use on the faster slivers, and Jordan simply couldn't keep up, and his spear was knocked from his hands. Suddenly, Jordan pulled a sword from his scabbard, and the two went at it again. The parries and counter-attacks lasted for a good hour, until Dusty tripped, and Jordan's sword was at his throat.
"We Have a winner!" Exclaimed Celestia as Jordan helped Dusty up off the ground, and shaking his hand afterward.
"Good game!" Said Jordan.
"You too!" Replied Dusty, before the two parted ways. As Jordan was congratulated, Mira walked sadly up to Dusty.
"Sorry you lost, I know you must have really wanted that job..." Mira apologized. Dusty, however just kept smiling.
"Yeah, well, he beat me. That Jordan was just better qualified as a champion. Maybe I can be content serving alongside him as a soldier, Who knows?" Explained Dusty, and Mira smiled.
"You know, That optimism of yours is starting to rub off on me." Mira said, punching Dusty playfully in the arm. Suddenly, however, a soldier ran up to Celestia, screaming:
"Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia! There are slivers at the gate!" Cried the panicking guard, causing everyone to gasp and murmur. Celestia, however, was uninterested.
"Why is this of any concern to me, soldier?" Asked the Princess of the sun.
"Because, Princess, they've already breached the gate, and the soldiers can't hold them off!" The guard replied.
"What?! Impossible! No sliver can break through Arcanium! It's impossible!" Cried Celestia, denial in her voice.
"One did, ma'am! It's headed right here as we speak!" Cried the distraught guard, causing Celestia to freeze in shock.
"How many did you say there were, Soldier?" Celestia asked slowly, obviously unnerved by this news.
"One, Ma'am! Should we evacuate?" Asked the soldier.
"No. We stand our ground, and kill this filthy sliver just like any other. Gather the rest of your men, soldier, and..." Celestia was suddenly interrupted by the courtyard gate flying inward, and a lone figure stood, silhouetted in the dust. It looked like a unicorn, but with bat wings. When the dust cleared, however, the figure was revealed: A lone sliver stood in the arch where the colossal door was, bearing two wings, a silver, segmented body, a short, tapered head with a long, twisted horn growing out of it, two big, glowing blue eyes, four arms; two scythes, two clawed hands, and two hoofed feet. The sliver stood there, then roared a mighty battle cry that caused everyone but the princesses and Jordan to cringe. Jordan glared at the creature, then called to his fellow soldiers:
"Come on, it's only one! LET'S GET HIM!" With a mighty battle cry of their own, many soldiers charged with Jordan to face the sliver. However, the sliver showed no interest, and dispatched the charging soldiers with ease, moving like a silver blur as it blocked and cut and cast magic at the soldiers, picking them off one by one, until only Jordan Lightkeep was left. With one last, defiant cry, Jordan charged the godlike sliver with a fury Dusty had never seen before. He feared the sliver, but now feared Jordan more. Then, fast as lightning, the lone sliver dodged Jordan's spear, snapped it in half, and stabbed the stallion in the chest with one of his scythes, all in one fluid, lightning-fast motion. Jordan gasped, clutching at his chest, then slumped to the ground, sliding cleanly off of the sliver's scythe. Everyone stared in horror as the sliver strode casually to the center of the arena, looking around. Then, It spoke:
"ATTENTION, SURFACE-DWELLERS, HEED MY VOICE, AND HEED IT WELL! YOUR RECKONING, AT LAST, HAS COME!" The sliver started, in a voice as deep as an earthquake, and as commanding as a king's as it echoed across the arena, it's volume seemingly enhanced by the lone sliver's aura alone.
"I AM CHAE-SURR, HIVELORD OF GAMMA BROOD! I BRING YOU ALL A MESSAGE: I'VE LONG STUDIED YOUR FETID RACE, AND HAVE LEARNED YOUR CUSTOMS AND LANGUAGES, AND NOW USE THEM TO BRING YOU THIS WARNING, AS WELL AS PRESENT MYSELF AS THE THREAT OF WHICH I FOREWARN YOU. I HAVE EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE RACES OF THIS WORLD, ALL OF THEM, EVEN OF YOUR OWN SO-CALLED PRINCESSES! I'VE LONG KNOWN YOU WOULD TRY TO SEND A CHAMPION FOR ME, AND I ADMIT, I FEARED THIS CHAMPION FOR A WHILE, BUT LOOK! LOOK AT HOW HE LIES SLAIN BY MY OWN CLAWS! YOUR WORLD IS DOOMED, AND THERE IS NOTHING YOUR KIND CAN DO TO STOP US! ACCEPT YOUR FATES AS FOOD FOR THE HIVE, FOR THIS IS YOUR DESTINY, AS OURS IS TO RULE OVER YOU ALL AS KINGS! DEFY US, AND DIE PAINFULLY. WHO AMONG YOU WOULD DARE QUESTION THE RIGHT OF THE SLIVERS?" Chae-Surr looked around to see if any did challenge his might, but upon seeing the single sliver cut down a whole battalion of heroes, none stepped forward, out of fear of pain of death. Suddenly, Celestia and Luna stood up, and Celestia pointed to Chae-Surr, rage and conviction in her eyes, and unbridled anger in her voice as she chided Chae-Surr:
"Chae-Surr, you were a brazen fool to come here! You do not wage war on and threaten us without punishment, and now you atone for those crimes!" Celestia's horn lit up, and she prepared to cast a powerful spell at Chae-Surr. But Suddenly, quick as lightning, Chae-Surr moved forward, seeming like a mere blur to those looking on, and sliced off Celestia's horn with but an unseen flick of his scythes, cancelling the spell. Celestia screamed in pain at this grasping the stump where her horn once was, still flickering and bleeding, and Chae-Surr stood over the fallen Princess, ready to land the final blow, but Luna suddenly tackled the sliver Hivelord, and knocked him back into the arena, anger and shock in his voice as he roared in surprise. But then, Chae-Surr lifted Luna up off of him, and threw her into Celestia, raising himself up soon after, and laughing.
"Pathetic. The two rulers of this realm are as mortal as I expected, nothing more." Taunted Chae-Surr, his twisted, toothy maw curled into what could have been a smile, had it not been so feral-looking. Finally, though, Dusty had enough. Without a sound he ran down, toward Chae-Surr, and slashed a wide, horizontal arc with his sword. Sensing a disturbance, Chae-Surr turned around to try and block whatever was assailing him, but instead got the sharp end of an Arcanium blade to his face. The sliver reeled back with shock and momentum, roaring in surprise and anger as greenish-blue ichor lashed out from the shallow wound, and everyone gasped, except for Mira, who just smiled and cheered.
"KICK HIS SHINY METAL ASS BACK TO HELL, DUSTY!!!" Shouted Mira, and everyone in the immediate area followed suit, cheering for the lone hero who just bitch-slapped the terrible sliver with a sword. However, Chae-Surr soon recovered, then dashed toward Dusty, claws outstretched as to eviscerate the lone warrior. However, as if detecting the move before it had even been made, Dusty blocked his scythe with his sword, and dodged the other with a quick duck, then used his momentum to turn the blade around, and the warrior then cut off both of Chae-Surr's hands, then slashed his face again, this time in a vertical arc, and managed to take Chae-Surr's left eye in the process. As Chae-Surr reeled back again, bleeding profusely, but not even looking winded, he grinned, revealing millions of needle-like teeth within his long, predatory maw.
"Yessssss... This one... This is him..." Chae-Surr hissed to no one in particular gleefully, and then he spread his wings, and took off into the air, the force of the resulting wind knocking everyone, including Dusty, down on their rears. And soon, the dust cleared, and when the crowd saw that Chae-Surr was gone, everyone cheered, and Mira ran up and hugged Dusty.
"You did it! Aw, man, did you see that stupid bug's face when you cut him in the face TWICE!? So. Totally. Awesome." As Mira finished, she released Dusty, letting him breathe. Before he could respond, however, Celestia and Luna walked up to Dusty, and spoke:
"Dusty, You have truly, gah, proven yourself today. In honor...In honor of today's events, I hereby Pro... Pronounce you a true soldier of Equestria... Well done, my child... Gah, that smarts..." Celestia said, holding her severed horn.
"Sister, I think we should seek help now, before you bleed out on everyone." Said Luna, holding her sister up.
"Yes... I think that would be best... You take it from here, Luna, I need to find a band-aid..." Muttered Celestia tiredly, before stumbling off into the castle.
"Anyway, On account of your heroic actions, and the unfortunate demise of..." Luna was interrupted by groaning, and Jordan Lightkeep, first thought dead, got right back up, swaying slightly, but okay nonetheless.
"Ugh... Wha'd I miss..?" Asked Jordan tiredly.
"Dude, you just got shanked, and everyone thought you were dead..." Said Dusty, surprised at Jordan's resilience.
"Oh. I see..." Jordan said, somewhat disappointed.
"What? What's wrong? You lived, didn't you?" Asked Dusty.
"Yeah, it's just... I failed to defeat the one enemy I swore to defend my people against. Dusty, may I ask who got rid of that damned sliver?" Asked Jordan.
"That was me." Replied Dusty.
"Wow, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Jordan chuckled. "Well, I'll be damned. first the Manaleech, then the finals, and now that super-sliver... Well, then it's settled. I cannot defeat the Hivelord, even on my own ground, but it appears you can. Princess Luna, I want to give up my Championship, and request it befall upon Dusty." Jordan said, bowing.
"Very... very well, Sir Jordan... As of now, Dusty, You are to be referred to as Sir Dusty, Champion of Equestria." Luna said, slightly surprised at this outcome, And the crowd went wild. Suddenly, a voice called from nearby:
"Dusty! What the hell were you thinking!?" Cried Neia, as she stomped up to her brother, the angriest expression on her face.
