(Information received from a recording of the facility in Canterlot)

The deformed soldier growled as it passed through the lines of its remaining force. Each of the smaller soldiers kneeled and whimpered as their commander growled, deciding who to hold for blame. It chose the two blinded soldiers, tearing its enormous claws into one and ripping out its spine in one deft motion. The monster devoured its shredded carcass, inciting fear into the now whimpering and trembling soldier beside it. Slowly, its claws ran down the creature's front, gradually entering until it reached the stomach area. The soldier was coughing up blood, the heaving of its chest spouting more blood. The mutant tore out its organs, spilling them in a mess of black blood and red flesh. Once the subordinate had died of blood loss, which took eighteen painful minutes, the creature consumed it as well. It turned to the others, who were terrified for their own outcomes.

"Jro urt ulsh bogoro (You let him escape)" It snarled loudly, pacing around impatiently. "Hruuk alk?! (What now?!)"

The soldiers offered no response, growling at each other as they shifted uneasily.

"Teveket ulsho rekansk (Release his armor)" The mutant ordered, followed by heads raising in confusion. "Ut rekansk dot venvagol ot uton ulsh. Jenst i vosko ot nagat dotet bulsko, frolok wepalsh dot. Scondito? (The armor is programmed to find him. Send a fighter to track its progress, then recapture it. Understood?)"

The soldiers nodded hesitantly, then scattered as their commander roared at them. It made its way into the breeding chambers, watching as its former kind mated forcefully. Another two weeks… and an army would be assembled. Most of the whelps would die before maturing, about ten of which would stay behind to rut their own mothers for more runts, and the rest would go off to fight. The inhabitants of the planet weren't the concern, they were easy to overwhelm.

No, this station was breeding an army for war. A war that had been raging for thousands of years. If they could just get the prisoner back, it would be the end of the bloodline, and the powers of a thousand rulers would be lost. Just a little more time.

But that was before we came into the equation.

I went over to the forge the next morning, the blade wrapped in several layers of cloth to make sure no pony saw it. Even if anypony did, it would have been Solars or Recons, but I wasn't taking any chances. I passed through the course built into the cavern, watching the newest recruits train for their graduation, which was a salute and immediate placement. I moved to the back of the base, then walked over to the forge. It wasn't an enormous thing, just a shallow well of smoldering coal and charcoal. The heat coming from it caused my brow to form some sweat, but I ignored that and went over to the blacksmith.

He was a broad-shouldered, ashy stallion with a dirty-blonde coat and orange mane. Years of working iron, steel and gems formed a shaggy and rough beard, along with the muscle in his back and the chisel in his jaw. He was very forward, unwilling to hear imbecilic words or meaningless compliments. He didn't even talk much; even less with the princesses. Yet he'd made nearly every weapon in the Guard for over twenty years. I came over, just as he pulled the newest creation of a sword from the fires.

"Twilight," he nodded in greeting.

"Hammer," I nodded back. He placed the smoldering sword on the stone anvil and grabbed a hammer. "I need to ask a favor."

"Don't do favors, Twilight. You know that," he grunted, shaping the molten blade into shape with his iron mallet. "But, let's hear it anyway."

He didn't do favors, but he always asked anyway. I set down the clothed weapon on his wooden table, then unfurled it. The gleam of the ruby tip caused him to grunt in annoyance, then look at it. His gaze zeroed in on the blade, his hammer stuck in mid-swing as he looked over it. He placed the mallet down and returned the sword to the fires, going over and cleaning his hooves before looking at the blade.

"Where did you find this?" He asked flatly.

His tone betrayed his eager observations. It was reminiscent of a foal examining its latest toy. He looked up and down the sheath, taking note of every little detail before unsheathing it. His eyes widened some, and his mouth hung open slightly as he looked over the blade itself. His hoof ran up the sides of the sword, and then over the markings on it. A small mistake on my part: I didn't tell him how heavy it was. He tried lifting it, and instead managed to lift it briefly before dropping it in surprise, the end digging into the wood with ease. He rolled it back onto it's side, and he turned to me with a shocked look.

"This is one of their weapons, isn't it?" He questioned. I shrugged.

"I'm not sure," I told him. "Out two days ago, found an enclave, it was just sitting there so I took it."

"You stole this?" Hammer questioned.

I shook my head. "Everypony was dead. No owner to worry over it," I shrugged. "So… think you can make something out of it? A new dagger maybe?"

He grinned, faintly, then lugged it over to the flames. "We'll see," he huffed, rubbing his leg from the exertion. "Come back by tomorrow. Should get most of this melted down by then."

"Alright, then," I nodded.

I started out… but I quickly rerouted to head into the medical cavern once again. Call it my sense of curiosity or hunger for knowledge… I had to see it. I brushed past many of the guards, and I descended the same stairs as before. To my surprise, Celestia and Luna were standing in the hall, both looking into the creature's room. My old teacher noticed me, and she smiled softly.

"Hello, Twilight," she nodded, looking back over to the creature. "I assume you've come for the same reasons?"

"If it's to learn more about this thing, then yes," I replied, nodding to Luna. "How can it still be unconscious?"

"Victims of torture often endure such treatment for days, without sleep as well," Luna explained, gesturing to its scars. "This may be its first time to rest peacefully."

It sounded like a reasonable explanation, but I was already thinking of an argument, one sprouting to mind instantly.

"Physical torture isn't forgotten, especially when somepony is awake during it," I responded. "Even if it was deprived of sleep, we should have seen it twitching or spasming out of memory. Maybe even a few shouts or roars."

"Very good, Twilight," Luna chuckled gently. "That was concerning me as well. But I haven't sensed any signs of terra-forming in the dreamscape."

I rose a brow. "Terra-forming in dreams?"

Luna smiled softly, laughing lightly as she glanced over to Shadow. "Ponies, griffons, minotaurs, dragons all create their dreams, most of the time using real images and altering it to their pleasure," she explained. "Just as terra-forming would be altering the land here, we do it in our dreams to mold our own worlds. It's quite simple really."

It made sense… in a strange way. "So… this thing hasn't been dreaming?" I asked.

Luna shook her head. "Not at all," she replied. "I've tried picking up any signs… but it has a mental block of some sort that keeps me from entering. Either it can't dream at all, or it is safeguarding its dream."

To think, Princess Luna, the mare who traveled through our dreams and was nearly as powerful as her sister, couldn't enter this creature's mind. Perhaps… it could manipulate magic? There were magic restraints on it, so it wasn't unreasonable in saying it knew how to do such spells. But it was still unconscious, and no pony could keep up a spell like that while asleep.

"So, have you learned anything, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

I sighed softly, shaking my head. "Not really… just wish it would wake up," I huffed. "So… why were you two down here?"

Celestia and Luna gave each other knowing glances, which they tried hiding from me. "We… were a bit curious. We haven't gotten a good look at it, so now was ideal," Celestia said.

…

…

She was lying. I… I could just… feel it. There wasn't any mistrust in it… but it was a lie to buy some more time. For what, I couldn't be sure.

"I… I'll be going. I'll see you soon," I nodded, turning to leave.

Behind me, the alicorn sisters watched me go, and when I reached the turn, I slowed down as I rounded the corner.

"…can't be sure. This could be one of them for all we know!"

"Mother told us the stories! You remember, and don't you dare deny it, sister!"

"I haven't. I'm… I'm just not sure. We need to wait before we assume—"

"That we've met her vanguards? ‘The light in the bleakest of nights’?"

"Those were stories, Lulu. Just stories."

Stories? Vanguards? While the revelation that they actually had a mother was interesting, just what exactly had they been talking about?

I tried ignoring it, but since it was the only thing to go by, it kept coming back to my mind, even as I reached my room. I flung open the door, quickly going over to the desk by the door and grabbing some parchment, a quill, and an inkwell. The only other thing I could remember were the symbols from the sword. They were each strange, unique, and mysterious; unlike anything I'd ever seen. Five alien symbols. I went over to the chest between my bed and the bed across, grabbing an old tome of translations from it.

The sword looked alien, no question, as well as the symbols… but I wanted to be sure before I drew conclusions. After flipping through eighteen languages, which had nothing even close to relevant on these images, and also took over two hours, I groaned loudly and smacked the book from my desk. A sharp gasp escaped me, and I practically threw myself to grab it. There was a small tear on one of the pages, and I scolded myself as I used a small fix-it spell to mend the rip.

This tome was the only thing I could get from my library. Out of all my recon assignments near it, this was all I could sneak out. Too many scouts, too much weight, meaning I could've been killed if I tried going for another. And since they've practically nested in the library, there's nothing else for me to save. I grabbed this one in particular because of our situation. Seventy-two languages all held within this book's contents. It would help us understand the ponies that didn't speak Equish, like Germanians, Saddle Arabians, Prench, and other foreign refugees. Oh, what I wouldn't do for another book, something that held vital knowledge.

And as the gods would have it, I got my wish.

Knock-Knock

"Twilight?"

"Come in," I called, standing up as the door opened.

It was Fluttershy. "Hey," she nodded, closing the door behind her.

"Hey," I nodded back. "What are you doing here? I thought—"

"The girls and I are being kept here for now," Fluttershy explained instantly. "Something about training without our presence. I'm not sure, but that's not why I came."

As she walked to the desk, I saw the saddlebag she was carrying, which looked stuffed. The shape was all-too familiar. "Where did you find that?" I asked quickly, following her like a dog waiting for a treat.

She pulled out the heavy tome, struggling to plant it on the desk, then stepped aside so I could get a closer look. "Rarity and I found this in the camp a few days ago," Fluttershy told me. "I thought you would want to see it."

I examined the front and back eagerly, but my eagerness dimmed as I looked closer. The symbols… were similar to the ones I had drawn out. I re-set it on the desk, using my magic to grab the scroll from under my bed. I set it beside the book as I flipped it open. At first, it was just more symbols, but the text started to change. On the left side would be the same writing, repeating for letters and words, while on the left a different sort of text rose, this one roundish and messier. I leaped through a few pages, then came upon another set of symbols, these different from the other two. But the page on the left still had the same ones. The further I went, the more familiar this was looking. It was only when I reached the last section did I understand.

Equestrian Alphabet and Dictionary Translation.

It had the Equestrian alphabet, and on the left was a slew of text in the same order. The next page began the first words of the letter "A".

This was a translation tome. Just like mine… but from them.

My mind flipped a switch, and I skipped ahead to find the matching symbols. I wrote down the meaning of each beside it on the parchment, but the more I wrote, the more confused I became. It read:

Nalc
Rouhsnomala
Nu'uker
Mu'uhsod
Ht598

I looked over it one last time, but I saw something familiar. The Japonese wrote their writing down vertically, as their culture had done so for generations. Maybe… this was similar? Instead of horizontal, or vertical… was it upside down? After rewriting it, I got:

Ht598
Mu'uhsod
Nu'uker
Rouhsnomala
Nalc

It still didn't look right, but Fluttershy gasped and pointed to the numbers. "Maybe it's backwards."

I tried it, I was willing to try anything at this point. I rewrote it again… then stared as I read the translation.

895th
Doshu'um
Reku'un
Alamonshuor
Clan

Clan. Family. Did these things actually have a sense of love for family? And the number… was it referring to the newest ruler of those monsters? If they had a ruler, they had to have some sort of disciplinary system for their army. If we could just understand more, MAYBE, just maybe, we could negotiate something. We could at least make contact.

"So… Alamonshuor is a family name," Fluttershy examined, glancing back to the book for the word ‘Doshu'um’. "So… is the full name Doshu'um Alamonshuor, or Reku'un Alamonshuor?"

"Well, 825th Doshu'um sounds more like a title than a name, and they're the closest things together," I pointed out. "If anything… I'd say whatever the name is of this sword's owner, it has to be Reku'un Alamonshuor."

We both went silent as we thought about it. "That sounds like a weird name," she hummed. "Maybe we read it wr—"

"SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT!"

We heard a barrage of magic bolts fly, and the two of us instantly bolted outside. Fear rose within me again. Did they find us? Would we have to leave again?

Me and Fluttershy reached the castle, seeing a squadron of Solars being reinforced with the rest of the Solar Guard. The unicorns were firing without remorse onto a single spot, which was shrouded with dust and smoke. Me and Fluttershy pushed ahead to the front, my horn primed and ready for an attack. The beams stopped soon after, and we waited for any sign of movement. There wasn't any, but it wasn't long before the cloud had cleared. I gasped softly, Fluttershy doing the same when we both looked at… whatever it was.

It stood at a daunting five meters, its form disfigured and thin. Instead of an organic eye, it had a sort of moving light with two smaller ones that looked over each of us. It looked metal, as it didn't have anything organic and it was moving by moving rotors. The light turned blue, and it slowly moved forward. A guard fired a beam at the ground near it, but the machine didn't register it.

Machines couldn't register fear.

It hummed softly, looking all around for something. Suddenly, its thin structure thickened immediately, frightening some of the guards. Said guards accidentally fired, but the bolts all deflected off of the machine's exterior. It then hummed loudly, and leaped over the entire platoon, landing on the steps of the throne. It turned to its thin form yet again mid-flight, then darted into the castle.

"Fluttershy, go and catch up!" I exclaimed, galloping on as she flew over my head with a group of pegasus guards following.

I teleported into the medical cavern, a sense of concern for it passing through me. My concerns were right, as it entered the hallway above me, just as I shut the metal door. I stood back and waited for an attempt at entry, but I heard a few shouts from Fluttershy. Nothing pained, but she was grunting as she attacked, that much was certain. Silence lingered, far longer than I found comfortable, and I thought about going to check.

But that was before it started leaking out from the cracks. I don't know how, even today, it could do something like that and still work. Its form had completely melted down, and the liquid machine seeped through the cracks and under the door. As the puddle of silver moved towards me, the device started to solidify and regain its previous features. I moved back as it reached its full height, the blue light scanning me inquisitively. Then, it looked into the creature's room. The light turned a bright red, and the skinny arms and legs flared small latches. I had no idea what it was doing, but I wasn't going to wait and see.

My horn instantly lit up in three different hues of purple, each brighter than the rest, and a magic bubble surrounded the machine, a manipulation spell holding it in place while the third spell opened the far door. Fluttershy galloped in with twenty or so guards, each pointing spears and charging spells. It wasn't long before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came in, gasping at the sight of the machine. Princess Luna tore the door off its hinges and molded it into a miniature, hollow prison. Celestia teleported it inside, then they both placed enchantments to keep it from escaping. After that, a group of unicorn stallions escorted it to the prison cells on the other side of the castle.

"What was that?" I panted, rubbing my horn gingerly. "Fluttershy… what… what happened?"

She showed me her daggers, which were completely bent. "I tried cutting it, but this happened," Fluttershy said, shock in her voice. "Then… it melted and went through the cracks around the door."

"It melted down then solidified?" Luna exclaimed. "How… it would have to destroy itself to do that!"

"But it didn't," Celestia sighed. "Another creation we just can't understand. But why did it come here? And why for that creature?"

I gasped quietly, but my explanation grabbed their attention. "It could have been some kind of assassin machine," I exclaimed. "It only had to track him, even without seeing him. And… if those things sent it…"

"They know we're here," Luna said, her tone grave and bleak. She sighed loudly, her hoof slamming into the nearest wall and smashing a few rocks out of place. "DAMN IT!"

She took some breaths to calm herself, and Celestia nodded softly. "We have to evacuate everypony this instant, before the soldiers or scouts can enter the tunnels," she said. "Luna and I will announce the evacuation, and I want you two at the front with the rest of the Elements."

"Princess… we're going to stay behind," I announced, earning me a narrowed gaze.

"Twilight, there isn't any guarantee we will evacuate everypony in time," Celestia said to me. "And if we can't, then it is my sister's and my duty to make sure we save as many as we can. You won't be a part of the body count…"

She was… afraid of me being with her. The fear of losing somepony so close to her was something she wanted as far from her mind as possible. "I won't be," I assured her. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

No pony would ever break a Pinkie Promise.

She could see that I wouldn't budge, and so she… hugged me close. "You'll stay with me at all times," Celestia whispered. "You and the girls. Understood?"

It took me some time, but I managed to placed my hooves around her and return the gesture. "Understood."

We separated, and Celestia turned to Fluttershy. "Rally the other girls and tell them to meet here," she ordered. "We haven't much time."

"Okay," Fluttershy saluted, then zoomed outside to gather the others.

The announcement went out, and the entire settlement gathered their belongings and headed for the eastern tunnels. We helped navigate them in neat lines, making sure no pony would slow anypony else down. Tulip wasn't among them, so I assumed she had gone on ahead. As we checked the last few homes, I remembered about Hammer. I galloped back over to the forge, seeing him load up his cart.

"Remember that sword you gave me?" He questioned. "Damn thing didn't melt in the slightest."

He showed me the gleaming blade, not a scratch on it, and not a piece out of place. "It's only been a couple hours, but this thing does't look like it'll be melted anytime soon."

I sighed softly, but there wasn't anything to be done. "Just hold onto it for me, okay?" I asked.

"I ain't a thief," he smirked, loading it onto his cart. "Just make sure you make it back. I'll see you soon, then."

I nodded, watching as he wheeled his cart into the crowd. "Twilight!" I heard Applejack call. "They're settin' up the barricades! Come on!"

I galloped to catch up with her, and from there we met up with the rest of the girls. And…

"Tulip?!" I exclaimed, seeing the young mare in an RC uniform. "What… what are you—!"

"Easy, Twi," Rainbow smiled. "She just wants to help set these things up. Right?"

"Right," she nodded, a set of hammers and spike traps in her magic aura behind her. "It's the least I could do for you guys."

I nodded, reluctant to let her stay, but for now we needed all the help we could get.

And yet the biggest help would be what changed our lives.

Entry #87
November 29, 2012

Mom and Dad had to leave. It isn't safe here, especially since this is the closest cavern to Canterlot. If those things got in here… I wouldn't be one of the ponies to mourn. So… I sent them to be with Shining Armor and Cadence, near the Crystal Empire. From what we've gathered from the crystal ponies, the monsters don't go anywhere near the polar regions.

It was hard… but even they knew that they would be safer. I have to say… the hardest part was refusing to go with them. They begged me, my mother cried and my father did his best not to, both of them screaming at me. I screamed back… for the first time I had the courage to yell at my own parents.

I wouldn't let them die.

Too many caverns near Appleoosa are being overrun, refugees pouring into here and Manehatten's caverns. If they could find those away from their main base, who knows what would happen if they made it here? We have the biggest population, after all. It took a couple of hours, during which I think I damaged my voice for a while, but I finally got them to go. The only family I have now is Spike… I just hope nothing happens to either of us.

Stay safe Mom. Take care of Ma, Dad. I promise I'll see you soon.

~~Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Next chap, of course, and the usual mental argument. Ship, or no shop? If anything, I'll flip a coin. So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night.