Twilight pulled her mug of coffee closer as she poured over her notes in her laboratory. It had been almost two years since they had arrived in Equestria. Twilight could remember each waking second since in excruciating detail.
They had arrived just after the winter wrap up two years ago. Twilight had been riding the Friendship Express back from a visit to her family in Canterlot when she saw the ship for the first time. For a brief moment the beautiful blue sky turned purple, there was a loud crack then there it hung in the sky. Sleek like a shark it hovered over Canterlot. The silvery metal glinted in the sunlight, if it weren't so sinister in nature Twilight could have almost called it beautiful. She knew better now, what they really were. What was inside that ship had caused her and the other resident denizens of Equestria almost non stop torment for two years now. When the aliens had first arrived no pony was ready for the destruction that they brought with them and no pony could have predicted the amount of devastation they could wreak in only the first day that they had arrived in Equestria.
Twilight had watched on in awe alongside the rest of Equestria when first contact was made. The Wonderbolts had assembled quickly, Soarin and two other members gathered beneath the ship only hours after it had appeared. An azure beam of soft light had appeared only feet away from where the crowds had gathered. Two gargantuan figures then descended from the beam. Twilight now knew they had been using some sort of gravity manipulation object not much different than casting a large scale low gravity spell. The monsters had stepped out of the light to reveal their hulking armoured bodies. The creatures stood on two legs that had bending joints similar to ponies but their upper bodies were more akin to the creatures Twilight had lived amongst when she had traversed the Magic Mirror in Equestria, though their “Hands” had some significant differences. Instead of four “fingers” and a “thumb” they had two “thumbs” and two “fingers”. All this knowledge was completely useless to Twilight but their xenobiologist seemed to think that the information was important and was still very invested in her research.
The creatures had strode out into the grassy clearing outside Canterlot the ship had settled over. Twilight remembered the scent of fear hung heavily in the air as the ponies in the crowd began to become fearful of the creatures, even the Wonderbolts were put off by the creatures strange appearance.
Twilight could tell by the way the creatures heads had bobbed up and down as they strode forward they could smell the fear in the air as well. The armour of one of the beasts was a deep amethyst and the other a brilliant crimson. The one clad in crimson had curled up three of its fingers and use the last to sort of point at the Wonderbolts apparently unaware of which pony it should address. Everything went down hill from there. Once the monster dressed in red opened its four mandibles and barked something in an unknown language at the crowd of scared ponies.
Soarin lost his cool at the sight of the mandibles, he shouted an order to the two other Wonderbolts with him and they sprung into action. It had been a noble action though in hindsight Twilight realized it had been a completely futile action. The Wonderbolts had glanced off of the beings as though they had barley even grazed them. At the onset of combat the crowd of ponies quickly dispersed, but Twilight and a couple other ponies had remained to watch in morbid horror the events that unfolded next. Twilight was glad she had stayed, she had gathered vital information that she could use now against them in their fight. Twilight remembered the Wonderbolts had regrouped after the initial assault and had looped around in an attempt at a second attack. The aliens crouched down low to provide the Wonderbolts as little a target as possible and had drawn strange horseshoe shaped objects from their belts. There was a burst of white light from one of the devices and one of the Wonderbolts fell from the sky in a smoking heap. Soarin and the remaining Wonderbolt scattered under the assumption that they were now dealing with magic users. Soarin and his remaining team member acted in unison dive bombing with their back left leg extended in attack formation. The creatures moved with amazing speed for creatures of their size, the monster in blue quickly battered Soarin's team mate to one side there was a sickening crack as all the bones in her body shattered as she was thrown to one side. Almost instantaneously the other monster shot its arm into the air and wrapped its hand around Soarin's neck then brought it only inches away from its own face. Twilight could see the terror in Soarins eyes even though she sat a very safe distance away from the action. The creature had muttered something again in its strange language then bludgeoned its helmeted head into Soarins. They had taken Soarin's body back into the gravity lift. Twilight had no way to know if he were alive or dead, but then again she had more pressing things to worry about. Her research had to come first she needed to find out as much as she could about these creatures. After all wasn’t it HorseShoe who had written “Know your enemy as yourself?”
Shortly after that encounter the ship had moved its placement in the sky. It listed lazily forward until it came to rest over the heart of Canterlot itself. Twilight had watched from the field as light began to gather on the underside of the ship. Twilight remembered realizing what they were intending to do. She had tried to make it back to the city, tried to warm the princess, tried to warn ANY pony. But she couldn’t make it. Before she even had time to think a jolt of super heated plasma spewed out of the bow of the ship then an orb of light blazed from the centre of the city followed by a crippling shock wave. Twilight didn't remember anything after that. All she knew was when she woke up Canterlot was gone, in its place on the mountain sat a mess of glittering black glass. There was absolutely no way any pony could have survived.
The ship had sat in place ever since then. Apparently unwilling, or unable to move. A constant supply of troops had since been deployed all over Equestria, Ponyville had been completely overrun in a matter of hours and Manehatton had dropped completely out of contact Twelve moons ago. Most ponies lived underground now. In sewers or old diamond dog warrens. Twilight had the luxury of her basement laboratory that stretched out under most of Ponyville. Twilight finished her coffee before abandoning her research for the night. The war would still be there tomorrow if she called it a night now.
Twilight left the steel table where she had her work notes spread out inside the square concrete room. She blew out the dim lantern that decorated the wall and enveloped the room in darkness. She trotted down the dismal grey corridors passing a few of the world weary ponies that had taken shelter with her when the assault on Ponyville first began, her facilities were suited to shelter almost one hundred ponies. Unfortunately when Twilight had brought news of what had transpired in Canterlot to Ponyville only a few people had listened to her. Amongst the few who had joined her was Applejack Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity. Rainbow had been visiting Cloudsdale during the initial assault and Twilight had suspected the worst.
Twilight was in poor humour that night due to her lack of success at deciphering the latest glyphs that the scouts had found burned into the sides of the ruined buildings.
“Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” Twilight could hear an excited sounded pony running up from behind her.
“What is it Lyra?” Twilight sighed as she turned to regard their eccentric xenobiologist who was considered as such even by Twilight’s standards. The mint coloured pony's cyan mane was unwashed and tousled, there was a strange look in her eyes that Twilight hadn’t seen in any pony in a while.
“We did it! We'll they did it more like, but at any rate WE did it!” Lyra was almost shaking with excitement.
“Slow down Lyra, what exactly did we do?” Twilight turned to regard the unicorn. Twilight swished her tail in agitation.
“We got one of them! We'll I mean they got one, one of the scout troops AppleJack n' BigMac and a couple of the other ponies managed to capture one!” Twilight's heart skipped a beat. Did Lyra seriously mean they actually captured one of those aliens?
“What did they get Lyra? Tell me what they captured!” Twilight was almost too excited to be annoyed with the pony, she leaned forward intently awaiting Lyra's response.
“They got one of the big ones! One of the aliens with those cool hands!” Twilight was almost taken aback with the amount of excitement Lyra had for the physical appearance of the creatures rather than focusing on how to drive them out of Equestria. After all they had committed genocide on a massive scale...
“We'll it looks like I've got a lot more research to do tonight.” A wry smile spread across Twilight's face. It was time for pay back, and maybe a little research to kill the time.
Author's Note
Again, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.
Lyra tried to contain her glee as she led the princess down the many twists and turns of her underground laboratory. She could sense that she was not in the best of moods, though the news that they had finally gotten their hands on one of the alien creatures would certainly have cheered her up. Lyra knew that as a scientist Twilight had been dying to acquire all the information she possibly could on the things ever since the first day they had arrived over Canterlot. Lyra was herself dying to get an interview with the strange creature. The other ponies often looked down on her for her interests in xenomorphic biology due to the massive amount of blood shed the ponies had endured ever since the very first day they began systematically exterminating every pony in sight. Lyra shuddered remembering the Glasslands of Canterlot.
"Were almost there right?" Twilight prodded Lyra with a hoof. No doubt she was beginning to tire of watching Lyra attempt to contain herself. Both the ponies had avid interest in xenomorphic tendencies but their views on the subject varied wildly.
"Uh yeah," Lyra started. "The Apples locked it up in one of the specimen cages." A look of malicious content spread across Twilight's face.
"How very fitting..." She muttered. Lyra and Twilight passed by several corridors and passageways before they finally came to a heavy iron door with the number seven etched into it.
"Room seven, right here." Lyra nodded her head to indicate the room that the monster was being held in.
"I suppose as lead xenomorphic speciallest you should gather what notes you can." Twilight said as both the ponies passed through the door. Lyra nodded.
Apple Jack was resting against the wall with her large hat pulled down over her face, she appeared to be asleep. Big Mac stood peering past the bars of one of the cages at their guest. The room stretched down for almost twenty feet and every so often the solid cement wall was broken by a row of bars where more holding cells were located. The monster was the only creature in this particular room. Almost as if it was reserved for him. The creature held two of the bars in clenched fists and hissed angrily at Big Mac. The big red pony stood his ground and held the monsters gaze, he shared Twilights the hatred for the creatures. As Lyra and Twilight entered the room the creature and Big Mac turned their attention to the two ladies. The creature stood almost four feet taller than Big Macintosh and even without its dress of heavy armor was something of a sight to behold up close. Its four mandibles clicked together as it spectated Twilight and Lyra. For a moment Lyra was frozen with a morbid fascination for the terrifying beast. Twilight on the other hoof was unfazed. She strode into the room with a confidence that was familiar to her.
"How in Celestia's name did you manage to subdue it?" Lyra crept up to Big Mac to get a better look at the creature. Big Mac just looked down at Lyra without saying a word. He had been quiet before this had all started but now a days he seemed quieter than ever to Lyra. But then again the two had never been close. The creature towered over Lyra and looked down at her with small golden eyes that were divided by a slit of an iris much like a snakes.
"He looks a little like Spike." Lyra mentioned to Twilight as the princess muddled around in the back of the room with some sort of research notes. Twilight shot an icy glaze at Lyra and swung a clipboard across the room with her magic and hefted it at Lyra.
"Notes." Twilight replied icily. Looks like i hit a nerve. Lyra thought to herself before taking the clipboard in her hoof and a pen with her teeth. Slight resemblance to some species of dragon.(Distant cousins?) Lyra scratched onto the paper. As the resident xenobiologost she had to be sure she didn't rule out any possibilities. She moved a little closer to the cage to get a better look at the creatures legs.
"Interesting..." She muttered as she made a rough sketch. The legs are similar to that of a ponies. The legs are even ended in a thick hoof. Lyra could hardly contain her glee. Was there some similarities between these creatures and ponies?
"Careful how close ye get to the pen." Apple Jacks low voice wafted up from under her hat. "He may be hogtied, so to speak. But there ain't nothin' stopping him from reaching out and throttling yall." Lyra turned and smiled as she nodded her appreciation to Apple Jack before taking tree small steps back from the cage. "Gave me n' Mac one helluva tousle trying to get him in here."
Twilight stepped away from the papers she had scattered across the heavy metal desk near the door to the hallway.
"Please step to one side Big Mac and you Lyra Heartstrings." Twilight held her head high in a very dignified and princessly manner as she stepped forward toward the cage that held the thing.
"I have some questions that I would like to ask you. Do you understand me?" The creature turned its attention away from Lyra the instant the princess spoke. It spat something in its foreign manner spittle sprayed from its mandibles as it shouted at Twilight. "Now now." Twilight replied cooly. "Misbehaving will only get you vivisected sooner, and I'd like to learn all about you before I have to to that. Lyra's heart jumped into her throat. She was going to vivisect it? Lyra bit her bottom lip. Well it made sense that she was going to... Lyra rationalized the princesses actions to herself. Twilight did really need to learn EVERYTHING about it. Whatever helped get Equestria back under her hoof. The creature hissed.
"Insolent fool." It spat. All the ponies in the room affixed their eyes on the creature. Apple Jacks mouth hung open at the sound of its voice. "Your infidelity will not go unpunished. For your sins against the gods you and your pathetic world will burn!" It shouted at Twilight.
"My, my..." Twilight said eyes wide and sparkling with almost as much wonder as Lyra's. "If you'd be so kind would you be willing to impart as to why you wish to destroy all of pony kind?" The creatures already small eyes narrowed as it spat more unintelligible alien language at Twilight. It shot its arm out through the bars to point at Twilight. Her eyes narrowed as well as though she understood what it was trying to get across. Then it grabbed out in anger at the nearest pony. Which unfortunately for Lyra, happened to be her.
The thing wrapped its strange hands around Lyra's front right hoof and lifted her off the ground. She screamed, then a dazzling shot of brilliant pink laser streaked across the room and through the bars. Lyra was tossed across the room and landed with a thud against the metal table scattering Twilight's notes all over the room. Groggy and bruised the little cyan pony looked up from the nest of papers she had landed in. Her ribs ached and she was fairly sure she had fractured her shoulder. Apple Jack was on her feet ready to act if the monster offered any more resistance. Big Mac was walking over to help Lyra, Twilight who had just apparently saved her life looked over the body of the creature.
"Guess my vivisection just became an autopsy." Twilight sighed.
"Uuuh Twilight?" Big Mac nodded toward Lyra to indicate that she may need medical attention. Twilight face shifted from one of keen anticipation to one of mild concern. Lyra stood shakily on her hooves as Twilight ran her horn over Lyra her magical aura enveloped her.
"You bruised a rib as well as the joints in your arm." Twilight sounded bored. Lyra coughed and a spash of blood splattered over the papers on the floor.
"Oh god! Internal bleeding?" Lyra clutched her ribs.
"You also bit your tong." Twilight added with annoyance. "And I now have to rewrite three pages of research." Lyra hobbled over to the body of the alien. Thick dark blue blood oozed over the floor and down the bars of the cell.
"It has really strong hands." Lyra rubbed her bruised leg with her hoof. Twilight's ears shot back in annoyance.
"Those hands almost killed you." She snapped. Lyra could tell she had overstayed her welcome.
"I have just as much right to be here as you do Twilight, I am the leading xenobiologist after all." Just because Twilight was princess didn't mean she could treat her like she was trash. Twilight snorted and let out a sharp laugh. "You're the only xenobiologist." She scoffed. She was right after all. No other pony had as much interest in the alien species that were out there. Not just the ones on the planet but ones that they had undoubtedly not encountered yet. Her words still stung though and Lyra kept her mouth shut.
"And now that your friend is dead I don't see any reason for you to remain." Twilight gathered up the notes that Lyra had ruined. The coppery taste of blood still filled her mouth. She was right again. Lyra had no interest in staying for the autopsy. She would read over Twilight's notes on her findings later.
"Before Lyra goes," Apple Jack interjected. "I know y'all have been studdyin' that funny talk the've been spouting. Recon you understood some of whatever it was shoutin' didn't you?" Twilight siged and eyeballed Lyra. Whatever she had learned it had been something she had not intended on sharing with her.
"I've been studying and deciphering some of the graffiti they have been burning into the sides of our buildings on the surface." Twilight began, Lyra listened intently. Any information Twilight was going to impart now would just be gravy and she knew it was something she had intended to keep to herself. "And I've been attempting to translate some of their language. And apparently they have been doing the same to us with exponentially better results." Big Mac nodded his understanding, Apple Jack looked puzzled. "I couldn't make out much, but from what I could discern it mentioned something called "The Holy Covenant." though it was pronounced as a noun so i'm assuming that is an organization or company that it acts under." Twilight rubbed her temples. "It also referred to itself as a Herald of War? It tossed around the word Sanghili also used as a noun so i'm assuming that is a classification of some kind? Maybe a rank or title. I'm working on a spell that should help with the translation."
"Can't y'all just cast a spell that translates it for you?" Apple Jack looked at Lyra then at Twilight. Lyra knew it wasn't that simple. A spell could be made that would translate the language for other ponies but the creator of the spell had to have complete knowledge of the language in order to create a useful spell. Twilight smiled at Apple Jack with a look on her face that could only be translated as 'Sweet simple Apple Jack.' but instead of snapping at her friend as Lyra had expected her too her reply came out much sweeter as she explained to Apple Jack how that wouldn't work. As she made to leave the room she could hear Twilight inquiring as to the possessions the alien had been dragged in with, apparently the two Apples had manage to secure something that made Twilight very, very happy but Lyra was already out of ear shot. Lyra wasn't concerned. Maybe Twilight would disclose what it was in the notes she let Lyra pour over maybe she wouldn't. Lyra was hurt and tired and just wanted to get home. Bon Bon would be there already probably she had been volunteering to help out nurse Red Heart and Lyra was excited to tell her friend about the exciting discoveries she had made.
Lyra passed by Spike who hurried down the hall. Eager to help out his master. She huffed, she was happy to be away from Ivan Ponlov and her dog. Lyra chuckled at the affectionate nicknames she had given to Twilight and spike referring to the science era pony scientist who had conditioned his dog to salivate just at the prospect of food. It was an accurate depiction of the dog and master relationship Spike and Twilight shared.
Lyra passed through the warren of a laboratory at a trot, she was eager to get some rest. She was after all scheduled for some field work tomorrow and despite its dangers that was her favorite part of the job. Being out on the surface with so many aliens about. They were so different and they fascinated Lyra, though she would never admit how much. Not even to Bon Bon.
Author's Note
Been a couple of weeks but here it is! The greatly anticipated chapter 2 (I'm sure)
