Bullets and Blades

Chapters

Chapter 1: Exits
Chapter 2: Entry
Chapter 3: Breaking Down
Chapter 4: First Meetings

Chapter 1: Exits

Bullets and Blades

Chapter One: Hasty Exits

Written by: The Solitary Man and Smexy Sombra

Edited by: Smexy Sombra and The Solitary Man

“Oh shit!” Panted a young woman as she ran towards the elevator. “Oh shit! OH SHIT!” The roars of the monstrous creatures from behind spurred her on like an olympic athlete. Her boots echoed on the floor, only attracting more of her pursuers to the chase. “SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHHIT!” The lights went out, leaving only the light from her helmet and the plasma cutter she clung to.

“OH GOD! SOMEONE HELP AAAAAAHH!” A male voice screamed far off in the distance, it was drowned out by the soul shaking roars of the beasts in the darkness. The woman paused for only a moment and brought up her locator, the blue line spread itself across her vision and pointed her in the right direction. She started running again but felt something grab her shoulder, she whirled around and fired a blast from her weapon into the face of a horribly deformed creature. Its head exploded and the grip loosened enough for her to make a dash in the right direction.

“Come on! Come on! Be there! Be there! BE THERE!” She shouted at herself, praying to whatever deity was available that the elevator would be there. When she reached the hallway where it was meant to be, she was glad to see that it still sat unused. The blue interface indicated it still had power, which gave her hope. The woman sprinted towards the elevator, the light from her engineering suit helmet was her only guide. She could see the blood trails on the floor, the screaming echoed through the air vents like a sick symphony. It was accompanied by gunfire that never seemed to end.

The woman reached the elevator and activated it, she turned around to fend off any of the monsters that were following her while the gears to the door turned. They came in a massive swarm, their blades of bone clanging on the floor. The woman fired several blasts into the oncoming horde, severing limbs and heads. But even without their heads they continued to charge, blood and gore pooled on the floor. Finally, the door to the elevator opened. The young woman backed into it, still firing like mad. She used her foot to activate the elevator, the door shut just as she ran out of ammunition. One of the creatures managed to stick its horrid arm through just before the door shut, it was sliced off and writhed around on the floor for a few moments.

“RRRRRAAAAAHHHH!” The young woman shouted as she brought her boot down on it, squishing the fleshy appendage into mush. She panted for several seconds, her helmet undid itself and she brought her hands to her temples. She brushed her long black hair out of her eyes and looked at the squashed appendage. Her stomach contracted and she retched loudly, before vomiting. “Oh god… Oh god save me…” She said, wiping her mouth on her armored for arm. She stood there for a few more moments, then the vent above her broke and a deformed creature dropped in. The woman let out a scream and used her kinesis to pick up the disembodied limb from before.

She shot it into the deformed creature, causing it to stagger. It was enough time for her to reload her plasma cutter and then unload into it. When the weapon clicked empty the monster from above lay in a pool of black blood. The young woman stared at it for a moment before her helmet closed up on her again, the elevator came to a stop on the hanger deck. There were gunshots and screams coming from beyond its door. She contemplated not opening it before remembering the dead creature in the corner.

Reluctantly she opened the door, what she saw horrified her. Even after all she had seen that day, the new sight horrified her. Soldiers were shooting every living thing, even each other. One of them popped up in front of her and took aim, she ducked and fired her plasma cutter into his head. His bullpup rifle clattered to the floor in front of her, and was quickly grabbed in her shaking hand. Another soldier came upon her, she fired the bullpup and scored a headshot. She had found that doing that was relatively simple in the past few hours. The woman took some ammunition from the dead man as well as his rifle. It could come in handy later.

“KILL HER!” A voice shouted, she barely had time to duck behind a stack of crates before a hail of bullets came at her. She blocked out the fear, forced herself to fight. She would die on her feet with a gun in her hand rather than on her knees with a gun to her head. The woman held her bullpup over the crates and fired blindly before dashing towards the only remaining shuttle.

“MAKE US WHOLE!” A man shouted, grabbing her. He didn’t hold her very long however, as he was riddled with holes. The woman shrugged him off and climbed into the shuttle.

“Welcome, Corporal Isabella Gregoyev.” The computer chimed.

“Computer, prepare the shuttle for emergency shock jump!” Isabella shouted, closing the door to the fighting outside.

“Warning, Roanoke Docking Master has denied all shock jumps. Airlock doors are closed.” The computer replied. Isabella was about to order the override, then remembered the dozens of innocent people outside. “Proceed with Emergency Jump?” The woman took a deep breath, if she stayed, she died. If she went, she killed who knew how many people. But, they would die anyway, right? She had pieced together that it was a cleanse order, and they were definitely thorough. “Proceed with Emergency Jump?” Isabella took a deep breath.

“God, forgive me.” She whispered to herself. “Computer, engineering override code seven seven seven. Proceed with Emergency Jump.”

“Confirm, seven seven seven passcode.” The computer ordered.

“Jackpot.” Isabella replied, she heard a confirmatory beep.

“Jackpot confirmed. Opening airlock. Prepare for Shuttle Launch.” Isabella turned away from the window as the airlock opened. She could hear the screams and gunshots outside die off as everything that wasn’t tied down was sucked into the vacuum of space. The shuttle lurched and took off out into the void. The ships were firing on each other, killing each other like good little soldiers. Isabella’s helmet undid itself and folded back into her suit. She strapped herself into her seat before the shuttle lined up a course. “Shock jumping to Quadrant zero zero one.” The computer beeped out. As is prepared to make the jump, a stray blast from one of the other ships slammed into the shuttle. “WARNING! SHIP DAMAGED! ABORTING JUMP!”

“NO! OVERRIDE SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN!” Isabella ordered, clenching her eyes shut. Trying to avoid looking at the faces of the dead that were now floating in space. Little did she know, the main jump core was damaged severely. It crackled and sparked in the back of the shuttle, energy building as the computer began laying in a course. The power from the core reached dangerous levels in mere seconds.

“Override accepted. Jump engaged.” The shuttle buzzed with energy, flinging off into space at immense speed. The jump was faster than anything Isabella had ever felt before, and the force kept her stuck in her seat. Time and space began to split apart as the unstable jump core powered on like an out of control steam train. The blue light that normally was present outside a shocking ship began to fade into complete darkness. Isabella saw darkness creeping up on her vision, seconds later she passed out. The shuttle exploded through the fabric of space and time, passing into an entirely different dimension. Leaving the planet of Tau Volantis and all of the unfortunate souls behind.

(^*^)

Alexander walked through the paths of Lordran, the elitist knight armor upon his body clinking and jingling along with his movements. His lifeless eyes behind his helm scanning the area around him. He was not hollow, yet, and wished only to find a way out of the hell he was imprisoned in. He had found long ago that time in Lordran flowed differently opposed to the typical flow he remembered before he found the darksign upon his skin. The day he was cast from Astora and banished to this hell. The same day he found himself cast into the undead Asylum.

He escaped after several years of perpetual madness and anger. When he left he found several of the other undead, hollowed and blood thirsty, having to slay many familiar faces as well as those he did not recognise. He learned quickly the terrors that laid before him, promising himself that he would find a way to escape his curse. Unfortunately for him, he never found any hint of being able to return home, and in turn became a sword and shield for any other undead who had yet to subcome unto the fate of the Cursed.

He subconsciously looked over his body, seeing the plate armor and blue cloth that hid his body. The helm on his head hiding the sunken, green eyes and the tired expression that was permanently casted onto his face.

Alexander was brought from his thoughts by the sound of heavy boots falling against the ground, his head swiveling to the sound of the noise. The sounds of hollowed knights and grunts filled the air as he saw a undead traveler, garbed in rags and leather rushing towards him. The traveler’s blade on his back and shield held tightly, only a look of pure fear on his face as he bolted away from the monsters clamoring after him. He was certainly not hollow, if the face of the traveler was any indication.

Alexander turned in place pulling the large black greatsword from his back, taken from the corpse of a black knight, and the crest shield from his back, the extra sword on his hip jingling against his armor as he moved. The traveler stopped only a few feet from him, fearful that he was about to perish to another hollow, only to find Alexander rushing by him and swinging his blade with an angered roar of hatred and rage. The blade effortlessly cleaved through the hollowed, their rusted and broken armor shattering and crumpling against the impact.

Thick and coagulated blood flung against the walls and across Alexander’s armor as he hacked his way through the undead. Lopping off the head of one, he leaped to the side and stabbed his blade through the chest of another, merely kicking the corpse off his blade. After he was finished, the bodies of his victory laid strewn across the ground, limbs and bodies circling the former knight.

He turned and looked at the traveler, seeing his terrified expression. Walking over to him, he stopped and sheathed his blade. Alexander tilted his head a moment before clearing his throat. “What is your name, traveler?” He asked, his voice raspy and underused.

“D-Drake.... I was given a quest by a Knight who released me from my imprisonment of the Undead Asylum.” Drake stated, standing tall as to invoke confidence unto himself. “I am to ring the bells of Awakening and find the fate of the Undead!”

Alexander nodded at his words before walking past Drake, his heavy armor clinking and clunking as he did so. “I am Alexander the former knight of Astora, and I wish thou the best of luck in your journey. Only the heavens know of the damnation you will face in your quest. I pray that you fight as well as you speak. May we meet again, Drake.” Alexander spoke before he heard the patter of footsteps behind him. He turned to see Drake running up behind him.

“Wait! Mayhap you can help me get to the ruins of Blighttown! Tis the location of the Second bell!” Drake stated as he followed after Alexander. The Knight stopped in his tracks, thinking of his options. He truly had nothing left to lose but his own sanity. Turning towards Drake once more, he drew his sword and nodded.

“Very well, I shall help thou gain entry to the ruins. But be warned, tis a place of only anguish and the fallen. Once thou passes through those gates, your life will be back into your own hands.” Drake nodded at his words before Alexander gestured with his gloved hand. “Then follow me. Time may be bountiful for us, but there is no reason to dillydally.”

Alexander had wandered all across Lordan, having looked for his own escape away from the accursed land of the undead. This allowed him to swiftly find the gates to the area of which Drake sought. They were to part ways before one fatal thing stopped them. “Locked...” Drake muttered as he pushed against the large gates, finding them barely moving an inch. They heard a deep chuckle from their right, seeing a man sitting crosslegged on the ground.

“Yes, that place has been sealed and the key thrown into hiding.” The strange man stated, looking at the two from his horned mask. Drake walked over to him, a curious expression on his face.

“What are you talking about, stranger?”

“That place was sealed off because of the dangers within, not that it did any good. If you really want to get in there, you are going to have to find the key.” The man said before a smile graced his lips. “And that key is in the chambers through that way.” The stranger pointed a gloved hand towards a entrance to his left. “There you will find your key and much more.”

Alexander was gaining the continuous feeling that what the man was saying was that they were going to be walking to their doom. It was a fight through hollowed, giant rats, and other disturbing beasts of the sewers until they came to a large open area. The stench was far worse than the actual sewer as they walked forwards, bones and weaponry from previous knights littering the floor around them. The only light originating from the holes in the exposed roof above them.

“This doesn’t seem right. He said the key would be here. I pray that he meant not that we have to dig through this muck to find it!” Drake stated in a frustrated and angered manner. Before Alexander could even give a reply, the ground rumbled slightly as they saw a small creature poke its head from the hole at the far end of the humongous open room. They were stunned for a moment before they began to be filled with terror as a massive claw lifted from the opening and pulled out the monstrosity that was waiting for its next meal.

The beast was was larger than many dragons, towering over the two undead as it crawled from the water and straightened up to its full height.

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“.... We art about to be horribly violated, Drake.” Alexander spoke out as he drew his Greatsword from his back and replaced his shield with his other sword. Drake took a few steps back and brought out his flame and sword, getting ready to face the beast. They looked at each other as they saw the beast marching towards them and giving a battle cry, they split in opposite directions to confuse the beast, Drake going at its left and Alexander going at its right. As they rushed, Drake pelted the beasts hide with balls of flame, watching as it roared in annoyance while Alexander lopped and hacked at its legs.

After a moment the beast flew into the air and landed with a loud crash, sending both of the undead flying backwards. As they stood up, Drake turned to see Alexander slowly getting to his feet, staggering with exhaustion. As he finally got onto his feet, holding his blades tighter, he looked up only to find the gaping Dragon only a few years away from him. Time seemingly stopped for a moment as he turned to look at Drake, seeing his horrified expression. Alexander only spoke only thing as he raised his swords.

“This is how my journey ends?... Pity...” He spoke, before the maw of the dragon fell upon him, crushing and shredding his body with the rows and rows of serrated and razor sharp teeth. Drake could only scream out in horror and anguish as he saw Alexander fall. A loud guttural sound of agony sounded out, blood spurting out of his wounds and from his helm, as he saw the beast rise, revealing the mangled corpse of Alexander. His body slowly faded off into white mist, flowing out and into the air towards the opening in the ceiling. Drake was in shock for a moment before he glared up at the beast.

“I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU, MONSTER OF THE SEWE-” Before Drake could finish his roar of anger, the beast slapped him across the room into a wall, a sickening crack following his impact.

Chapter 2: Entry

Bullets and Blades

Chapter Two: Entry

Written by: The Solitary Man and Smexy Sombra

Edited by: Smexy Sombra and The Solitary Man

“Warning. Jump Core Malfunction.” The computer said for what most likely the thirtieth time. It had been the only sound prevalent within Isabella’s ears for the past half an hour. She didn’t want to open her eyes, not yet. She felt that if she did, the monsters would reach out for her. “Warning. Jump Core Malfunction.”

“Ac-Acknowledged…” Isabella finally said in a quiet voice, the faces of the monsters were still fresh in her mind. The fact that they had been people at one point, people that she knew, had shaken her to her core. She opened her eyes slowly, the red emergency lights were on and she could hear the malfunctioning jump core in the back of the shuttle. “Computer, what is our location?”

“Unknown.” Was the reply, Isabella raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean? We charted a course for earth.” She replied.

“Correct, but damage to Jump Core has caused an anomaly.” Isabella undid the straps that had locked her into her seat, then tried to stand. To her surprise, she floated and hit her head on the ceiling. “Be advised, artificial gravity has failed.” The young woman sighed and activated her magnetic boots, she came down on the floor and her helmet closed over her disheveled hair.

“Are we near any planet?” She asked, looking out the window.

“Sensors indicate an earth sized planet near our current position.” The computer said mechanically. “No data available.”

“Do we have the power to get there?” Asked Isabella, there was a brief silence. The computer flashed several streams of calculations and essential data, filling the screen with many diagnostics. As the data finally stopped it spoke out.

“Yes, providing all nonessential systems are deactivated.”

“Do it.” The shuttle turned and began to make way towards the planet, leaving Isabella in silence. She walked to the back of the shuttle and pulled down one of the hanging bunks. “Wake me when we get there.” She said to herself before lying down on the bunk and closing her eyes. Sleep came fast, the exhaustion from the days prior events overwhelmed her.

(^*^)

“Turn… It… Off…” A voice echoed through Isabella’s head. “TURN! IT! OFF! TURN! IT! OFF!” She shrieked and rolled out of the bunk, clutching her head as the voice continued shouting at her. “TURN! IT! OFF!”

“STOP IT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” Isabella shouted, searing pain shot through her body.

”TURN! IT! OFF! MAKE! US! WHOLE!”

The young woman writhed on the floor, scooting away from her bunk in a vain attempt to get away from the voice.

“GET! OUT!” Isabella roared, using every ounce of willpower she had to shove the offending presence from her mind. Her helmet undid itself and she brought her hands to her face. Tears formed and for several minutes she sobbed, the aching pain dissipated with each passing second. When it had gone, she stood to her feet. Slowly, she staggered to the controls of the shuttle. “C-Computer. Status report.”

“We will enter orbit with the unknown planet in ten minutes.” The computer replied, Isabella looked up out the window and could clearly see the planet. It was a blue and green orb, much like earth. Even the cities looked the same… Cities?

“Computer. Are those cities?” Isabella pointed to the lights that covered the darkened hemisphere of the planet. The computer beeped several times.

“Affirmative. Power source is unknown. No further details available.”

“Fuck… Are you sure this isn’t earth?”

“Affirmative. Continents are not aligned, and there are no trace satellite bodies. Mathematical probability of all satellites being eliminated is near unquantifiable.” Isabella stared at the planet for a moment, contemplating what to do.

“C-Can we survive reentry?”

“Affirmative. Provided we impact a mass of water after passing through the atmosphere.” Isabella turned away from the planet, but the aching returned to her head. Maybe they were advanced, maybe they could help her. The voice had only started a week ago, but she knew what would happen to her if she didn’t get help. Isabella steeled herself and took a deep breath, her helmet folded over her head and the lights in the eyes illuminated what parts of the ship were darkened.

“Do it.”

“Working. All crew members should brace for emergency re entry.” The ship began to angle itself towards a darkened area of the planet, Isabella strapped herself into the navigator’s chair and prepared for the worst. There was a warning beep from the computer. “Warning. Odds of water landing calculate to thirty-seven percent. Advise abortion of re entry sequence.”

“No. Keep going!” Isabella ordered, the computer beeped and the nose began to lower. The heating plates began to glow as the shuttle came into the planets outermost atmosphere.

“Directing ship towards snow covered area.” The computer stated.

“Direct all nonessential power to navigation… Even life support.” The young woman said stoically, watching the planet grow closer. All noise from the computer stopped, leaving Isabella with only the sound of the shuttle's re entry. Or entry, since it was technically the first time it was entering the planets atmosphere. The young woman stared at the planet, the area she would be cra- landing in was covered in dense clouds. It was most likely a snow storm, Isabella hated snow.

The shuttle rattled and shook, sending jolts of nervousness up Isabella’s spine. She held firmly onto her seat, praying that the ship would at least get her to the surface. From there, she would be on her own. A sudden thought occurred to her, what if they weren’t friendly? Quickly she undid her straps and rushed to the back of the cockpit. There she found the bullpup rifles and her plasma cutter. Isabella grabbed them as fast as she could as well as some other basic supplies, storing whatever she could in her RIG. When she was done she ran back to her seat and strapped in. A moment later, the shuttle was rocked by an unseen force, but it held on its course.

Isabella watched out the window, the ship had entered the atmosphere and was passing through the clouds. The snow made it near impossible for her to see outside the ship, but she still could make out the trees that were just below the falling shuttle. The shuttle began to lower its landing struts, seconds later it was jerked into the ground. One of the struts had caught a particularly well rooted tree.

Isabella was glad she had strapped herself in. The nose of the shuttle slammed into the ground and was sheared off a mere foot away from the now panicking woman.

“HOLY SHIT!” She shouted. The shuttle skidded along the ground, it’s engines still running at full. Isabella struggled to look out the gaping hole, what she saw sent chills down her spine. A train. She didn’t have time to contemplate how an alien species had built a train so similar to one of old earth, nor did she have time to think about how to escape. She only had time to recognise what was going to happen if the engines didn’t stop. “THIS IS GONNA HURT!”

The engines exploded and ripped themselves loose from the shuttle, creating their own furrows in the ground that split off from the main flaming path of destruction. What remained of the ship rolled multiple times, jostling isabella around like a ragdoll in her seat. Time slowed down for a brief moment as the shuttle hit a berm and was back in the air. Isabella was blinded by the bright light from the front of the train. She couldn’t believe she was actually staring at the front of it. There were sparks flying from its wheels, most likely trying to stop itself from hitting the tracks that were being damaged.

Time shot back to its normal violently fast pace before the wrecked shuttle slammed hard into a massive tree. Isabella’s head snapped back into the headrest of the chair and everything went black.

(^*^)

“What in the name of Equestria was that!?” Rainbow Dash shouted as she collected herself from the flooring, being flung across the train by the abrupt stop. All of the other ponies groaned and rubbed their aching heads as the Conductor trotted in.

“I am sorry everypony, but we seem to have encountered a rather large.... Problem.” He said as he rubbed his neck in mild fear. Whatever had landed in front of the train was massive, on fire, and clearly not moving. “It may be a while before we get moving again...”

“What’s happened?” Asked Twilight Sparkle, the lavender alicorn leaned forwards with interest. The Conductor could only shrug, as he had only caught a glimpse of the object.

“I am not sure what it is, Princess. But I am sure that it isn’t going anywhere without somepony moving it.” The Conductor stated as he moved to a window and glanced out, seeing the flames flickering brightly, even in the blizzard winds. As those words left his mouth, Pinkie popped over next to Twilight and smiled brightly.

“Oooh! Twilight! You are a supermagicalmagicAlicorn! Why don’t you move the flaming thingy with your awesome magic so we can move along to the AMAZING HEARTH WARMING EVE PLAY!!” The pink pony stated spastically, her nose pressed against Twilight’s and her eyes wide with excitement. Twilight politely pushed Pinkie away, then rolled her neck for a moment.

“Alright, but first I want to see what it is. For all we know, it could be an airship.” Twilight said, trotting towards the door to the outside. She was followed by her friends, all of whom were slightly nervous. The princess pushed the door open and stepped outside, and instantly she was greeted with the acrid smell of burning chemicals. That meant that whatever had crashed was synthetic and probably had a crew. “Everypony, fan out and check for survivors.”

“Okay, Twi.” Commented applejack, she and the others did as instructed. Fanning out and checking the area. A loud whining noise caught the attention of Rainbow Dash, and so she started off towards it. Twilight focussed on the largest portion of wreckage, it had hit a large tree. From what she could tell, it was upside down. The strange image on the side seemed to indicate that. She couldn’t make out any of the strange text that adorned the vessel either, but that didn’t stop her. She continued to the point where a large gaping hole was visible, sparking wires hung like deadly snakes.

Twilight used her magic to teleport up into the wreckage, when she popped back into existence she let out a gasp. This was no airship. The strange consoles and screens were either shattered or sparking, in the back of the strange craft were several tanks that spewed flames like blowtorches. Twilight took a cautious step forwards, something dripped on her head. Nervously, the princess looked up. A strange creature hung limply above her, it seemed to be wearing armor of some kind. The helmet of the armor was constantly trying to cover the creature’s head, but it would spark and close itself again.

Blood dripped down the pale skin of the creature, staining its hair and collecting in a pool on the floor-turned-ceiling. Twilight gulped, not sure if it was dead or alive, she hoped it was the latter. The princess didn’t have time to dwell though, as the prospect of alien life sent her on a new quest for answers. She trotted further into the craft, taking mental notes of everything and avoiding sparking wires and flames. Twilight brushed her hoof over one of the consoles, not expecting a response.

“M-M-Mzqq nsyjlwnyd fy ymnwyjjs ujwhjsy.” A mechanical voice boomed, stuttering at the beginning. Twilight backed away from the console nervously. “Fhynafynsl knwj xzuuwjxxnts xdxyjrx.” Moments later, there were three bangs. White gas was forced onto the flaming tanks and soon the fire died out.

“Hello?” Asked Twilight, there was no response. “Uh… Knwj xzuuwjxxnts xdxyjrx?” She had trouble imitated the strange language, but hopefully it would yield results.

“Fhynaj.” Came the garbled reply. “Fqq ujwxtssjq, jafhzfyj xmzyyqj. Qnpjqnmtti tk Tcdljs ijytsfynts fy snsjyd ktzw ujwhjsy.” Red lights flickered to life on the walls of the strange craft, a blaring alarm rocked Twilight to her core. She heard a groan and then a click, Twilight turned in time to see the creature from before fall. It landed with a thud and rolled a few times before struggling to its feet.

“Xmny!” It growled before limping towards the broken entrance, it looked at the ground for a moment. The mechanical voice repeated its warning message, Twilight saw the creature take a deep breath before leaping out of the hole. Seconds later there was a feminine scream of pain, accompanied by a thud. Twilight instinctively ignited her horn and teleported outside, hoping to check on the wounded creature. As she reappeared a cable sparked near the tanks that had been burning before. Twilight threw herself on top of the creature when the massive ball of flame ripped the craft into pieces.

The hot debris landed around her and the wounded creature, melting the snow where it landed. Twilight felt the creature beneath her squirm and push, it succeeded in tossing the alicorn aside and pushing itself up again. Twilight noticed a strange glowing device on it’s back, a tube of colored liquid blinked an eerie red. The creature took a moment to stare at her, surprise evident on its face.

“Don’t be afraid.” Twilight stated, trying to sound comforting. The creature stared at her blankly, then turned and started limping towards the train.

“MJD! XTRJTSJ! UQJFXJ MJQU RJ!" It shouted, pain evident in its voice. Twilight was going to go after it when she heard a distant scream from her friend Fluttershy.

(^*^)

Alexander felt as his body began to form from its recent trauma, his soul fabricating and forming his body from the flame back to its former strength. His head appeared first, then his torso, his arms and legs becoming visible last. As his body was completely formed, his felt a wave of exhaustion hit his aching form. He staggered heavily, nearly falling to his knees, but collected himself long enough to glance around his surroundings. He checked his body over, his armor and blades still on his person. Not a single hole or dent on his armor other than a light scuffing.

He saw the winds filled with snow whipping by his helm, a wreckage of metal and glass behind him, and a fog caused by the snow. He felt the cold slowly beginning to chill his worn bones. He cautiously lifted the mask of his helm, using a glove to feel his face. A somber sigh escaped his lips as he felt his skin, once soft and full of life, now leathery, sunken, and dry.

“I begin to Hollow. I hope I may keep others from gaining the same fate before my time comes...” He spoke, his voice even worse than before. A light whimpering filled the air, forcing his sight downwards. A small vibrantly colored creature was before him, a equine with wings and a odd set of butterflies branded on its flank. He would have investigated the creature further, but he heard a shrill cry for help rip through the winds of the Blizzard.

“HEY! SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP ME!” A feminine voice cried out. In a moment, he drew the greatsword from his back and gripped his shield tightly. Swiftly turning on his heels, he kicked up torrents of snow as he sprinted around the wreckage in the direction of the voice. He sprinted as fast as his armor would let him, the snow and the weight of his armor slowing him down tremendously. The sounds of boots in snow was the only thing he heard as he ran. He soon found the figure of a woman walking through the snow.

Her voice sounded Human, enough to lower his guard slightly. He approached the woman, seeing a thick blood trail following her footsteps. He stopped to put his shield onto his back and place a gentle hand onto her shoulder, making sure to keep his blade ready incase a hollow came at him, or worse she became Hollow herself. “Maiden, what hath happen to thee?” He asked, trying to keep his tone as soft as possible. The woman jerked away and ended up falling to the ground.

“W-Who are you!?” She shouted, reaching for something that was held in place her hip without sheath or holster. How, Alexander didn’t know, but it was surely magic. Alexander stood tall and placed his free hand over his chest.

“I am Sir Alexander, Former Knight of Astora. Let me help thee Maiden. A blizzard be no place for a woman, injured no less.” He spoke calmly, kneeling and outstretching a helping hand. “Please, I mean thou no harm.” The woman eyed the hand warily, but outstretched her own hand.

“I’m Isabella. Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces, senior engineer on the CMS Terra Nova.” The woman replied, gritting her teeth as she was pulled to her feet. Alexander gave her an odd gaze through his mask, not remembering any kingdom of that name, but deciding not to press for answers.

“Can you walk, Isabella?” He asked cautiously, taking a moment to glance at his surroundings.

“Barely, maybe I can-” She was interrupted by an ear piercing scream. Both of them turned to see a yellow creature with soft pink hair, it cowered and stared at them fearfully. There were several other shouts of alarm in the distance. “SHIT! We gotta move!” Isabella used her rig to dispense one of her few medpacks, she felt her body respond better as the life object was used.

“Verily! You go, I shalt stave off the beasts!” Alexander spoke as he turned on his heels and grabbed his shield, getting into proper stance to fight whatever was coming. He had learned the hard way that when something small screamed, something bigger charged over. Isabella shook her head and grabbed the knight.

“Nope! You’re sticking with me.” She said, dragging him with her towards the trees and away from the coming creatures. Alexander was stunned a moment by the sheer strength the woman suddenly possessed, his mind immediately going to the excuse of Magic. He pulled his arm from her grip and looked behind, part of him wanting to slay the creatures and be done with them. He battled internally a moment before letting out an annoyed growl and reluctantly following the woman.

They escaped the creatures, hearing only the voice of anger coming from the beasts. A burning sensation in his chest reminded him of what nearly became of him, the ache of his past failure forcing a quiet groan of pain from his lips. The hollowing beginning to creep through his body. He turned his head to the woman and stopped in his tracks, planting his blade in the ground to signify he wasn’t going any further. He would not harm her by falling to the dark sign.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Isabella asked angrily, she looked at the knight intensely. Something was off about him, she could feel it, but he was the only other one who seemed to speak english. She didn’t care about how astronomical the odds of that were, he was at least able to talk to her.

“Maiden, I am burdened with a tragic end, one that I do not wish upon you.” He drew his blade from the ground, resting the massive piece of steel onto his shoulder and turning to face the direction of the creatures. “I beg of thee, leave me to my fate and let me die with dignity.” Isabella shook her head.

“I don’t think you understand! I don’t know where I am! I will starve to death if I go alone!” She said angrily. “I didn’t survive a shuttle crash to starve to death!” Alexander tensed his grip onto his blade, letting out a small growl of anger before swiftly turning in place. He took a deep breath before glaring at the woman from behind his mask. He stared at her a moment before reluctantly stepping forward and hanging his head.

“Very well, Isabella. I shall follow you until I hollow.” He spoke softly, beginning to stride towards her. “But I beg of thee, when my mind is lost, please make my end quick.” The woman stared at him for a moment before nodding and continuing to run, Alexander following close behind. The heating coils in her armor had failed and she was losing body heat. If she kept moving, she would keep her body heat up long enough to survive.

For the moment at least.

Chapter 3: Breaking Down

Bullets and Blades

Chapter Three: Breaking Down

Written by: The Solitary Man and Smexy Sombra

Edited by: Smexy Sombra and The Solitary Man

“Flutters, you in there?” Rainbow Dash asked, waving a hoof in front of the butter pegasus. The poor pony was shell shocked, her eyes the size of pinpricks and face of terror evident. She stared into one of the numerous fires, obviously scared of something that had passed through it. Deep prints were left in the snow, undoubtedly belonging to whatever had frightened the yellow mare.

“What in tarnation do ya think sent her into such a state? I mean, I know she gets scared easily, but not to this extent!” Applejack stated as she scratched her head in confusion. They had found the poor pegasus frozen in place in front of the wreckage. Twilight Sparkle approached her friend and poked her a few times, there was no response.

“Fluttershy… Did you see something?” She asked, the pegasus responded with a nod. “Was it tall?” Another nod. “Did it have two legs?” There was another nod. “Did it have armor?” A third nod.”

“Twilight, darling, if you know something I’m sure we’d love to hear it.” Rarity interjected, noting the specific questions being asked. Twilight looked to her friends, taking several breaths. When she thought she was calm enough to speak, she opened her mouth.

“TherewerealiensinthatshipandtheywearbigmetalsuitsofarmorandtheycrashedandIthinkFluttershysawone!” Twilight panted for a moment, her friends stared at her. They were used to deciphering such rapid messages, but they were not prepared for what the message conveyed.

“It-It-It had armor, l-l-like a guard’s.” Fluttershy finally stammered. “And-And a blade... A very b-b-big blade.”

“Like how big was this big blade?” Pinkie asked, leaning forward with curious eyes.

“B-Bigger than Princess Celestia...”

“Oh fuck…” Rarity muttered, her friends stared at her. “What! That’s a huge sword!” Twilight ignored her comment.

“The creature I saw was far more advanced, it’s armor was in links that hugged its body rather than covered it.” She said, looking thoughtful. “The entire vehicle was advanced like that, what Fluttershy is describing doesn’t make sense…”

“H-H-He formed from the fire…” Fluttershy said, still staring at the flames.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Rainbow Dash spoke up, waving her hooves in front of her. “You’re telling me that a weird alien thing carrying a sword twice the size of you and me, just popped out of that fire and walked away?” Fluttershy wilted slightly, but nodded. “Fluttershy, that’s-”

“She’s tellin’ the truth, Rainbow. Whatever it was that she saw, she ain’t lying about it. Even Pinkie couldn’t come up with something that ridiculous.” Applejack stated as she warily eyed the direction the large footprints went off into. “And whatever she and Twilight saw, those things are still out there.”

“Oh, oh! Maybe we could chase after them and be all like ‘We mean you no harm, let’s hug and be friends and-’” Pinkie began before her muzzle was shut by a purple aura.

“They can’t understand us.” Twilight said plainly. “I tried speaking to one, but it looked at me as if I was speaking gibberish.” Pinkie spoke something out, the words only muffled and incoherent as she spoke from her impromptu muzzle. Twilight released her mouth, raising an eyebrow at the odd pony. “What was that, Pinkie?”

“But we can’t just leave them out in the cold! They’ll freeze!” Pinkie started, bouncing in place with a worried expression. “And from what you two have said, they didn’t seem mean, just scared and lost!”

“And if we do not find them, who knows what trouble they could get into! They could have some sort of disease, they could be injured.” Rarity said, looking at Twilight. The alicorn was going to retort, but she remembered the dripping blood. “We have to find them.”

“You’re… You’re right.” Twilight said, thinking about what to do. “We need to get guards here, and the other princesses.” The princess began trotting back to the train, her friends following behind her. “Rainbow Dash, you’re our best flyer, I need you to get to the princesses in Canterlot. Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack, start searching. Use magic to mark their trails, but don’t go more than a mile away from the train. Fluttershy, see if you can get any information from whatever animals are still here. I’ll deal with the ponies on the train.” The ponies looked reluctant. “Look, once we’re done with this we can spend time with our families and maybe some new friends, okay?”

“Okay.” Replied Rarity, Fluttershy nodded. “Gotcha!” Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie all replied as they began to go off and do their respective jobs. Twilight took a deep breath as she gazed over at the smoldering wreckage of what remained from the large metallic object.

(^*^)

Isabella sat in the cave, her arms clutched around her body to try and conserve her heat and energy. Her knightly companion had told her to stay put and he would go to retrieve some wood for a fire. It had been nearly twenty minutes before he came back, his large sword strapped to his back with his shield, an arm full of logs, and kindling. Isabella sighed and stripped out of her engineering suit, she had to repair the heating coils and the helmet before they went back out into the wilderness. She shivered, her under armor did barely anything to stop the cold.

Alexander stacked the wood onto the ground and began to make the fire, stabbing his spare blade into the ground to use as a firepole. As he placed the logs and kindling against the steel blade, his eyes wandered to the odd uniform the woman held.

“Maiden, if I may ask... Where did you acquire such an oddity of armor?” He asked, making sure the logs wouldn’t fall. Isabella looked at him for a moment, then went back to tinkering with her armor.

“I… uh… I’m not from around here.” She said, looking to the stars. “The odds of this happening are, jesus, like a billion to one! Another planet, with humans, and weird fucking horses!”

Alexander stopped a moment and stood up, his gaze snapping to Isabella. “Thou speaks of the stars? Thou... Came from the sky?” He asked, unsure whether to accept her words or not. Isabella nodded and brought up her RIG, a picture of the shuttle appeared in front of her and she showed it to Alexander. The knight leaned forward towards the image with interest in his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s what I was flying before the whole…” She made several explosion noises and used her hands to depict what happened. “I thought you would have seen it, you live here after all.”

Alexander stopped a moment before letting out a hearty chuckle and shaking his head. “Nay, maiden. I do not live within this realm. I arrived not moments ago before I found you. I am as new to this world as an infant.” He spoke softly.

He gently hovered his hand above the collection of wood before the palm of his gauntlet glowed brightly. A moment later the fire ignited and a crackling flame was born, allowing the tired knight a moment’s respite. Isabella stared at him for a moment, she had seen monsters that killed everything, survived an impossible crash on an inhabited alien planet, and found another human that spoke english, wearing knight armor, and carrying a sword bigger than she was. But that was the last straw.

“Sure! Fine! Whatever!” She tittered, raising her hands in surrender. “Fuck it! Fuck the laws of physics! Fuck the laws of time and space! FUCK EVERYTHING! I DON’T FUCKING CARE ANYMORE!” The woman started laughing, falling backwards and rolling on the floor. “FUCK YOU EINSTEIN! FUCK YOU ISAAC NEWTON! FUCK YOU STEPHEN HAWKING! YOU’RE ALL FUCKING WRONG! NONE OF IT APPLIES ANYMORE!”

Alexander blinked behind his mask, unsure as to what he was witnessing. He had seen a man wail in horror at the sights of demons, watched as witches tore apart creatures of the unnatural, but never in his existence had he ever seen a woman of the stars cackling a like a king’s jester. “Maiden?.... Are you alright?” He asked cautiously.

“MY NAME IS NOT MAIDEN!” Isabella roared. “IT’S FUCKING ISABELLA! BUT IT DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER! NONE OF IT DOES! LOGIC HAS BAILED OUT OF THIS WORLD!”

“Mai-... Isabella, all I did was a bit of pyromancy. Very easy magic for anyone worth their sword.” Alexander stated calmly, gesturing to the fire.

“MAGIC?!” Isabella asked, leaning forwards. She laughed loudly again. “MAGIC! MAGIC! OF FUCKING COURSE! IT’S FUCKING MAGIC! THAT’S WHAT SUNK! MAGIC! THERE’S NO LOGIC! ONLY MAGIC!” She stood up and started pacing back and forth. “It doesn’t matter…! IT DOESN’T MATTER!”

“Isabella, I pray that you calm down. We do not know if the creatures are still following us.” Alexander said nervously, raising a hand in mild defense.

“WHAT DOES IT MATTER!” Isabella screamed, her face contorting into one of rage. “EVERYONE I KNOW HAS TURNED INTO A FUCKING BLOOD THIRSTY MONSTER! THERE ARE VOICES IN MY HEAD! I’VE BEEN MAROONED ON A PLANET OF SMALL EQUINES WITH A LARPING MAGIC WIELDER AND ALL LOGIC HAS LEFT ME! THIS IS THE WORST THING! *pant* A HUMAN BEING! *pant* COULD POSSIBLY! *pant* GO THROUGH! GGGGAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” The woman fell to her knees, she curled up into a ball and began to sob. “I-I-I’m all alone…”

Alexander could only sit in wonder. He had absolutely no experience in the realm of comfort other than a warm fire. He awkwardly shifted in place a moment before looking into the satchels on his hips. He rummaged around inside of them a moment, looking for something to help the poor woman but instead found a moment of joy. Inside was a single black sprite, flowing in the wind. He brought the small sprite into his hand, watching the cascading beauty of the creature in his palm. He brought it into the light almost smiling behind his mask. In one swift motion he crushed the being to dust, then watched as the essence of the being flowed into his own soul.

As the watched the dust fade from his hand, he turned to the fire and once more held his hand over the flame. He felt as the essence of the creature was taken from his body and poured into the fire, flinching as he felt his body begin to renew back to its former appearance. His skin turned back to the slightly pale shade it once was and his body morphed back to its normal form.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he sat back down and removed his helm from his head and set it by his side. Isabella shot him a brief glance, then went back to her sobbing. Alexander held the appearance of a worn and tired man, his his black hair hanging to his shoulders and his amber eyes showing exhaustion. He glanced to Isabella for a moment before awkwardly beginning to speak.

“Isabella. Mayhap you should get some rest. No doubt we will need to travel by the morn.” He received no response, but noticed the woman shivering on the floor. Alexander watched a moment before he reached to his neck, pulling off the old and tattered blue cloth. He held it in his hand a moment before holding it out. “Here... It may not be much, but it is all I have.” Isabella took the scarf and wrapped in around her hands, she rubbed them together for warmth.

“T-Thank you…” She said through chattering teeth, scooching towards the fire. She used her suit as a makeshift pillow and soon her eyes closed. Her sleep was anything but peaceful though, her face would contort into horrorified expressions and she would mumble incoherently. Alexander could only watch her and the entrance to the cave, his undead curse allowing him very few comforts of his previous existence, sleep not being one of them. Though he could not rest in the same manner as his companion, he still remained ready, just incase. With his humanity regained, his purpose now held more grip upon his mind.

(^*^)

Guards were strewn across the snowy landscape, each searching tirelessly for clues to the creatures’ whereabouts. Celestia and Luna were at the scene of the crash helping figure out what exactly had entered their world, while Twilight was coordinating the search parties. After a moment of directing a few groups of guards, Twilight trotted up to the Princesses.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, have you discovered anything?” She asked, eying the wreckage that had almost claimed her life the night before. The diarchs of the celestial bodies both shook their heads.

“The wreckage has shown nothing that you have not already told us.” Celestia spoke out as she glanced back at the wreckage. Luna had taken a second glance towards the devastated machine.

“We did find one thing rather odd though. The machine, aside from the obvious damages, seemed to have sustained several large, almost puncturing, indents. Odd, considering that the metals it is comprised of are stronger than anything on our periodic table. Half of the compounds don’t seem possible, and yet, they exist.”

“Whatever the reason this creature came to our planet, we can only assume what its motives are. As for the second creature you have told us of, we have found nothing relating to it other than a set of deep hoofprints in the snow.” Celestia informed as she glanced to the forest. “Have your friends found anything?”

“No, nothing aside from the prints, and the snow has covered almost all of them. Rainbow Dash has been trying to find them in the air, but this area is full of hiding places, they could be anywhere.” Twilight sighed, trotting towards the wreckage. There were large alien letters painted on the side, as well as a symbol of an eagle holding some sort of sword. “In the meantime, I would like to try and translate their alphabet.”

“Very well. Where shall we begin?” Luna spoke as she looked towards the odd writing, gazing at the smoldering piece of metal. “Not too much to use from the wreckage.”

“It’s better than nothing.” Twilight remarked, noting the four large letters that were a part of the symbol. “I think that it may be some sort of acronym, or maybe the name of the vessel?”

“It is a possibility. I am more concerned and the whereabouts of the rest of the crew.” Celestia spoke as she trotted next to twilight. “You spoke of only two creatures leaving this vessel, but the number of seats and space suggests more than two crewmembers should have been on this vessel.” Twilight touched a hoof to her chin and hummed in thought, then used her wings to hover upwards. When the crew cabin of the vessel was visible, she flew towards one of the chairs.

“Even with the intensity of the flames, there would be remains.” She said, landing inside the wreckage. She trotted into the cabin a bit, noting things she hadn’t seen before. A stray spark from one of the panels made her jump. She looked at the panel, one of the screens was surprisingly still intact. A few cracks ran across its surface, but it still flickered with life. “Princess Luna, you’ve been studying modern technology more than I have. Do you think you could help me with this?”

Luna fluttered her way inside, landing gracefully and carefully to avoid any flames that had yet to die or electrical wires. She gingerly stepped around the wires and smoking debris towards the console, taking a glance at the machine in front of her. Her eyes widened slightly at the holographic text that appeared before her. “I... I have never seen this level of technology since my return. The farthest I have seen has been the basic mobile computer. And even then, it was bulky and barely handled its processing power.” Twilight sighed, in desperation she poked a random picture on the screen.

“Uqfdnsl rnxxnts qtl.” The mechanical voice of the craft said, it was staticky and distorted. The screen changed to an image of what the ship had most likely looked like before it crashed. It sat in what looked like a massive room with strange creatures working around it. Luna and Twilight leaned in, looking at the screen with interest. They jumped slightly when one of the vents in the massive room was broken from the inside. Loud alarms began sounding and red lights began to flash. A deformed creature crawled from the air duct, immediately the normal creatures began to attack it with strange weapons.

”BFWSNSL! HTSYFNSRJSY GWJFHM! XHJSFWNT KNAJ NSNYNFYJI!” A mechanical voice within the recording announced, seconds later the deformed creature used its boney arms to stab one of the regular creatures. Even more horrifying was that now the normal creatures were killing each other as well as the deformed monsters that were charging out of the walls. Twilight wanted to look away, but the horrific scene was too captivating. She was thankful she continued watching a few seconds later, however.

“That’s the one I saw!” Twilight exclaimed, pointing at the creature that was making a dash for the ship. It picked up one of the strange weapons, it spat fire and seconds later one of the monsters killing everything fell to the floor. The camera switched views, instead displaying the inside of the cabin as the fighting raged outside. The audio cut out, but from the look on the creature’s expressive face the princesses could tell it was upset about something. It hung its head for a moment before speaking, outside the noise was silenced and they could see the air being sucked into a black empty void. Before anything else could be displayed, the screen gave up the ghost and stopped displaying the images. “MOTHER FUCKER!” Twilight growled.

“My my, such strong language.” Luna stated raising an eyebrow to Twilight. “I understand the images are horrifying, but that is not the usual reaction to witnessing such travesties.”

“No… No… It’s just, maybe if the video had lasted longer we could have learned more.” Twilight sighed, looking at the destroyed wreckage around them. “At least now we know what they were doing, they were fleeing.” The lavender alicorn trotted towards the seat where she had found the first creature strapped in. “We have to use caution now… If it’s still fleeing, then the last thing we want to do is-” She was interrupted by loud bangs in the distance. “Corner it.”

Chapter 4: First Meetings

Bullets and Blades

Chapter 4: First Meetings

Written by: The Solitary Man and Smexy Sombra

Edited by: Smexy Sombra and The Solitary Man

Isabella panted heavily as she lowered her plasma cutter, staring at the dead rat that had the misfortune of waking her from a nightmare. She shivered as she remembered the horrifying voices and the monstrous faces. The woman dropped the gun and brought her hands behind her head, tears threatened to spill from her eyes again. Alexander’s vision was constantly switching between the smoldering corpse of the rat and the terrified woman next to him.

He stopped gazing at the rat as he saw her anxious and horrified expression. The knight raised a hand a moment before gently patting her back. “There... There... Nothing worry about. Just a rat. A dead... Burnt... Rat.” He muttered uncomfortably.

Isabella shook herself out of her stupor, ignoring Alexander’s movements. She dragged her engineering suit over and began to repair what she could, occasionally flinching when the smallest sound echoed through the cave. As he placed his hand back down, he watched Isabella work a moment.

“If I may inquire, what hath made you so skittish?” He asked as he grabbed his helm from the ground and replaced it onto his head. The woman’s head snapped to him for a moment, her eyes scanned him for a moment but she said nothing. “Okay. Silence then.”

Isabella went back to her work, adjusting the heating coils and banging a few dents out of the helmet. Alexander could only watch on as she worked on her odd set of armor. While several questions still brewed in his mind, only one left his lips. “What is that glowing tube across your spine? Is it a container for drink?”

“Resource Integration Gear. It manages my health, augments my strength and assists in dangerous environments.” Isabella replied almost mechanically. “At the moment, it indicates I am in need of medical attention.” Before Alexander could move, Isabella pushed a button on the rig and the bar of light went from yellow to blue. She sighed for a moment. “I hate that feeling.”

After she had administered a health pack, she went back to her work on the suit. When she had finished, she slipped her legs into the leg portion of the suit. Then slid her arms into the sleeves, the torso portion of the suit locked around her and sealed. Finally the helmet closed around her head, the light that had once been blue was now red. It bathed the cave with three eerie lines of light.

“Impressive. A bit flashy, but if it serves its purpose who am I to judge.” Alexander chuckled out, a bit nervous at the sudden change of appearance. Standing up, he checked his equipment before looking outside the cave. “Shall we adjourn and make our way to a more comfortable location?”

“Yes.” Isabella replied, her modulated voice echoing through the cave. She held her plasma cutter in one hand, the rotary cuff turned and locked with a satisfying click. “Lets.” She pushed her way past Alexander, her boots made resonating bangs in the cave. Alexander pulled the sword from his back and rolled his shoulders a moment, walking after her.

“I believe the best solution would be to find the rulers of this land. They will be the best source for answers. For both of us.” Alexander stated as he walked into the snow, gazing around the forest.

“Yes, because I need answers.” Isabella shot back. “I already know I’ve died and been sent to hell, how else could any of this shit happen.” She punched a tree, it shook and several pine cones fell from its branches. “How the fuck else would an alien planet have earth like plants and animals?” Alexander raised his free hand and began to speak. “If you say magic, I’m going to kill you.” His hand fell back to his side as an annoyed sigh escaped his lips. Isabella and Alexander walked for a few more minutes before a tree limb snapped. Instantly, everything went silent. The two froze in place, Isabella switched from her plasma cutter to the bullpup rifle she had in her RIG. “There’s something out there.”

Alexander turned in place, tightening his grip on his sword, and began to scan the area around them. “Whoever it is obviously doesn’t want to be seen. Mayhap we should run?”

“No.” Isabella said sternly. “I’m not running anymore.” She shouldered her weapon and pointed it at the tree line. “COME OUT YOU MOTHER FUCKERS!” Alexander cautiously took his shield from his back and readied himself. He knew the type of state his companion was in, having seen it before. No amount of words would stop her, forcing him to go along lest one of them perish from a mistake.

For several moments there was silence, then several dozen small horses stepped out of the trees. Most of them wore golden armor, they had swords held in their mouths. Alexander’s guard dropped a moment as he glanced around.

“This is what we are being attacked by? I have killed rats bigger than these equines!” Alexander spoke out, almost laughing aloud as he spoke.

“Then it shouldn’t be too hard to kill these.” Isabella said darkly, placing her sights on one of the small horses that wasn’t wearing armor. It was the lavender one that had approached her the night before, she noticed now that it and two of its companions had wings and horns. While some only had one, the other, or none at all.

“Dl tlhu fvb uv ohyt.” The large white one said, trying to sound diplomatic. Isabella responded by shifting her aim to the largest one, the armored horses tensed. Alexander took a step forward a small growl escaping his lips, preparing to take a large swipe at the nearest horse if it came into violence. “Wslhzl! Dl kvu'a dhua av ohyt fvb!” It almost pleaded, Isabella’s finger found its way to the trigger. “Svdly fvby dlhwvuz! KV PA!” The creature shouted to the armored horses, they blinked for a moment before sheathing their swords.

At this Alexander lowered his guard a moment as he looked around. He waited a moment before a thought hit him. In a moment he slumped and stabbed his blade into the ground, beginning to rummage through the satchels on his hips. “Where is it? By the light, please say I saved that blasted thing.” He muttered as he searched through his bags.

“What? What’re you looking for?” Isabella asked without taking her weapon off of the

“A ring.” He spoke as he looked to the horses around him, making sure he wasn’t going to be attacked. Isabella lowered her weapon and turned her head to face him in a ‘seriously’ motion.

“A ring?” She asked, clearly annoyed. “Why?”

“A gift from a friend. He said should I ever meet someone I couldn’t understand that it may help. Forgot about it until now.” He informed as he rummaged around through his bags.

“You forgot- How could you forget!?” Isabella asked, angry now. One of the horses moved and she brought her weapon back up again.

“Well I am sorry, but my memory isn’t what it used to be. After the first hundred years I just began to forget things.” He stated, Isabella stared at him for a moment. Then she shook her head.

“Fuck it. Just get the ring, I don’t care anymore.” As she finished talking he pulled out a small brass ring, intricate designs and symbols littering its surface. Pulling off his gauntlet, he placed the ring onto his middle finger and replaced the gauntlet onto his hand. Taking his sword from the ground he turned to the large white horse and walked forward stopping in front of her. Taking in a deep breath he began to speak.

(^*^)

Celestia held a stoic expression as the armored creature approached her and Twilight. It stopped in front of her, the blade on its shoulder gleaming in the light. She felt herself give a small gulp of nervousness as she heard it take a deep breath.

“Can.. .You understand me, strange creatures?” A deep male voice spoke, coming from the mask of the alien before them. Twilight went rigid, then fell over. “Oh my... Is that normal?”

“Yes. Unfortunately.” Celestia replied, looking at her passed out student before looking at the creature. “Greetings, strange being. I am Princess Celestia of Equestria.”

“I am Sir Alexander of Astora. Former knight. It is a pleasure to actually speak with you.” Alexander stated, holding out a gloved hand. After a moment he realised his mistake and retracted his hand. “Oh my apologies.” In turn he bowed respectfully before turning to face his compionan. “Dear, friend! The ring works!”

“Bmfy'x ny xfdnsl?” Asked the other creature, its glowing helmet scanning over the others.

“She is the Princess of this land. Odd that she is here and not the king, but I will not question it.” Alexander spoke.

“Who is she?” Asked Celestia, looking at the other creature.

“She is Isabella. I do not know much of her. Talks very little. But screams a lot.” He stated with a mild chuckle, his armor jingling with his laughter. Celestia eyed his sword nervously, the massive killing object was stained with blood.

“Would you mind lowering your sword, I find it extremely unsettling.” She asked politely. Alexander shifted his head to stare at the blade a moment before looking back at her.

“Of course, your majesty.” He stated, sheathing the massive blade onto his back and turning back to Isabella. “Isabella, please lower your arms. They do not mean us harm.” Isabella lowered her weapon, but it was clear she was ready to kill at a moments notice. “Now what is it you require of us that needed the aid of twenty guards?”

“We discovered the crashed ship relatively easily, and judging by the blood we thought you may be in danger.” Celestia said, trying to hide the true nature of the search. To find them and detain them until they could determine if they were safe. Alexander gave a smile behind his mask and nodded.

“That is very welcoming of you. We are both quite alright, though I had no part of this ship’s crash. If you would not mind, I would like to ask a few questions as to where we are. My companion and I are quite lost you see.” He stated warmly.

“Of course, if you would follow us we can see to it that you are well taken care off.” Celestia replied with equal warmth.

“Thank you that is very kind.” He said before glancing back at Isabella and taking a small step towards Celestia, until the tip of his helm met her nose. “But I swear unto thee, Celestia, Princess of this land. If this is a trap or lie that forces me to lose a friend, I will not let myself stagger or weave from the path to personally take your head and wear it through the streets of your kingdom as a trophy. And no matter how many times my life is taken, no matter how many times I fail, I will continue until you have met your demise. Are my words clear?” He whispered to her, his tone dark and stern. Celestia could feel a weight in his words, she nodded slowly to the imposing figure. Alexander smiled behind his mask once more and stood up properly.

“Well then! Let us adjourn! No point in freezing our tails off is there?” Alexander spoke, clapping his metal gloves together. Celestia nodded and turned to her guards, lifting the unconscious Twilight Sparkle onto her back.

“Okay, everypony. Let’s get going.” The group turned and began to head towards the exit of the forest, Isabella and Alexander following them cautiously through the forest. Celestia could only gaze at them in wonder, wanting to know what brought them here and why. Hopefully, all the questions in her mind would be answered when they arrived at the castle.