Bullets and Blades

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.