The Pursuit Of Knowledge

by -Singleton-

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Gore, Crossover, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Other
Length: 8032

For a long time, a lonely soul has wandered the void, lusting for knowledge, craving something more than just a simple existence. He wants information. Data. Facts. He wants to know as much as he can, about anything he can.

For a long time, a lonely soul has wandered the void, lusting for knowledge, craving something more than just a simple existence. He wants information. Data. Facts. He wants to know as much as he can, about anything he can. And he will stop at nothing to acquire it ... But when a strange new land is presented to him, prior to his foray into Runeterra, what will he discover about this place, and by extension, himself? Preliminary testing, has begun. Prep the subjects, for Vel'Koz has arrived.

Published 2014-03-27 03:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-06 07:20:30 UTC

The Wanderer

For a very, very long time, the void has been home to monstrosities which can drive men mad at the mere sight of them. Creatures like Cho'Gath, Kha'Zix, and various other nightmares have surfaced from this infernal place. But not all monsters hold true to their labels. One creature, in all of the savagery of the void, is not there to be a beast, but to be a scholar. A thinker and an observer. And so begins, the tale of Vel'Koz. But this tale does not start in the void, oh no. It begins in a much more welcoming place. A place of good magic. A place of friendship. A place, of ponies.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, maroon curtains draped neatly. In a small bed lay a single lavender pony, her wings furled up, pulsing with her breathing, as she silently dreamed. She dreamed of many things. Of becoming an arch mage. Of discovering Starswirl's secret laboratory, and of something  ... strange. She couldn't truly comprehend it, for the magic blurring this image seemed much more unstable, primordial even, compared to the magic she used normally. But even through the haze, she could make out three small orbs of unearthly purple light. The glow shone through the veil of magic with an intense, blinding light. Twilight scrunched her face up, and tossed in her bed.

Then, out of nowhere, a sliver if horizontal light, even more intense than the orbs began to expand slowly, until it blinded her. But she couldn't look away, nor could she close her eyes. Her mind burned with the image of it. And then, it ceased. Gone, as if nothing at all had happened. But as Twilight began to shift in her bed, a low, voice rumbled deep in her mind. It was almost not there, and was completely garbled, but the very fact it was there, was what scared her.

Twilight bolted upright as the voice ceased, her eyes shooting open, and the bed creaking loudly. She began breathing heavily, looking around the illuminated room. She knew it was just a dream, but the blinding light coming through the curtains did nothing to ease her. Slowly, Twilight regained her composure, stretching out her wings and legs, yawning. She dropped down onto the floor, rubbing her eyes, and making her bed neatly with a quick levitation of her blanket, and fluffing of her pillow.

A bundle of blue cloth began to stir, rolling over and snoring loudly. Twilight figured spike could sleep in a little late on Sunday, he deserved it for all the help he had been yesterday. Plus , Twilight had an appointment with Fluttershy for brunch at her place anyway. No reason to wake the little guy.

Twilight quickly freshened up, brushing her teeth and washing her face. She glanced at the clock. She still had a half hour to get to the cottage. She strolled down the stairs, admiring the new configuration of books Spike had arranged. He had really done a wonderful job this time.

She came to her door, and yawning once more, unlatched the lock.

" So .... "

Twilight spun around in shock, her eyes widening, and her breathing picking up. No one was behind her. She turned back to the door, and looked out the window. Again, nothing crossed her field of vision. She shrank in her skin a little, frightened. Twilight waited there, a cold sweat running down her neck, for five solid minutes, awaiting another response from the disembodied voice.

It never came. She breathed a sigh of relief, and yet she still felt like whatever had spoken to her was still there. Twilight quickly opened the door, and slammed it behind her hastily, before unfurling her wings and taking flight. It had been an unsettling morning. But things must only get better from here, after all, this was a day the two ponies had been planning for weeks. How could it not be just perfect?

Flying. Gliding. Drifting. All words I have become much too familiar with ... It pains me really ... I have existed here for a very long time. So long, in fact, I cannot even recall where I came from, or how it is I came to be. And it hurts me. It hurts so very much, to not know why and how. It hurts that already, for however long I've been here, I have forgotten the few things I have learned in this place. It ... it's not fair. I'm being suffocated. Constricted by the empty and savage void.

For too long, have I wandered, too long have I simply just ... existed. It's time to take a stand, for my own sake. It's time to go somewhere. I don't even care where, anywhere but this empty, barren place is fine.

With a burst of arcane energy, I gathered all of the magic within me, channeling it into a portal to anywhere, just a random point in space, possibly in the same dimension, possibly in a new one entirely. The portal started as just a pinhole, and within seconds it grew, and grew to accommodate my size. I readied myself, for I knew that without the inherent energy of the void, there might be no way to return. I was taking a chance, this portal could lead to anywhere, even just another barren point of space. Or it could lead to a planet ripe for exploration and observation. I was delighted at even the slightest chance. I propelled myself forward, through the portal.

And, if only for a second, and only in the back of my mind, I saw the flash of an image. It was brief, but I could easily see it. It looked as if ... it was a purple creature of some sort. It's mouth hung open slightly, and it's large eyes seemed filled with terror. But the image faded quickly, and I just brushed it off as the magic messing with my mind.

As the portal closed behind me, I gazed upon a new world. A world which intrigued me on the deepest level. I could sense that the ground was composed of various mineral components, and it even held trace amounts of iron and magnesium. The nearby life forms were stationary, producing glucose through a unique form of photosynthesis. The light streamed through the trees and hit my eye. My senses were overloaded by the cornucopia of scents and sights. I began scanning the surroundings, taking in as much information as I could possibly stomach.

This was the beginning, of a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Twilight continued to soar through the air, her mind settling down. It was hard to not think about what had happened. Was her mind really just playing tricks on her? Was it Discord's hand, stringing her along like a puppet for his amusement? No ... it couldn't be. Discord couldn't be behind this. It had to be something else ... The image! It began to come back to her, the image of the orbs, and the blinding light they gave off. It must be linked, in some way to the voices she's been hearing. It had to be. It just had to.

As Twilight dipped a bit lower, letting herself glide slowly, she noticed something was very wrong. She could see smoke rising from the ground below, but she couldn't quite make out what was giving it off. That is until a bright flash of purple energy exploded below and ...

Twilight opened her eyes, noticing that she was still gliding, and she was still in the air, if somewhat low to the ground. Great ... Now she was seeing things. This had to stop. It was making her paranoid, and luckily no one had been around to see her have what she could only assume looked like spastic fits of terror.

Right then and there, she promised to head straight to the medical clinic to get a diagnosis. Twilight had never seen or read any books involving lucid hallucinations as vivid as the ones she was experiencing. It scared her, and even hurt her on the inside to feel so helpless and ignorant.

Fluttershy's cottage came into view, the lavender pony letting herself glide down towards it, and land gracefully near the entrance. Those flying lessons with Dash were really paying off, despite the pain it was to get up each Saturday morning. Twilight knocked on the door, and took a deep breath. 'Just relax, everything is going to be just fine.'

Fluttershy quickly answered the door, greeting her friend politely, and emitting a soft *squea* as she led Twilight into the kitchen. On the low table there was a stack of a dozen pancakes on a large plate in the center, with croissants on each of their plates. Besides the plates were glasses full of fresh orange juice. It all looked delicious.

Twilight sat down, and thanked Fluttershy kindly for the meal. And that's when the visions hit. Twilight fell over, slumping onto the floor, her eyes rolling into her head as she let out a moan of pain. Her vision went black, the world fading quickly from view. But then, just as quickly as the world had gone, it exploded into a cacophony of sounds and discordant mixtures of colors, swirling around her. Slowly, a figure seemed to form in the mess of the hallucination. A blinding light came from three small orbs. And then the eye began to open, flooding her brain with images of a barren, desolate place, where horrible monstrosities resided. She wanted it to stop. For it to end, and for there to be just silence in the world. The colors assaulted her as the eye opened fully and wide, a dragon-esque pupil forming in the center of the bright purple eye. It was terrifying, and yet comforting, for in this eye she could see a great intelligence.

"I can see you ... interesting ... your thoughts, your wants, your fears, your deepest desires and repressed memories. What's this? A scholar? You seek knowledge then, the most valuable resource of all ... As do I ... These reserves of knowledge you hold are meager, but it shall have to to content me for now ... " The voice trailed off as the eye scanned Twilight's horrified face.

"Thank you, for your contribution ... " , the voice ended, the hallucination ceasing, as the world began to whirl around her, the colors returning to that of the cottage, and of her friend kneeling by her side.

Fluttershy's face was filled with concern and worry, but Twilight took no heed to her friend questioning her. Twilight was sure the hallucination was over, yet there it was. The eyeball creature, perched on a hill nearby, and clearly visible through the kitchen window. It looked as if it was waiting. Observing her almost. Twilight watched the creature for several second, before the large eye began glowing brighter, along with the three orbs right above it. The creature seemed to float as its three tentacles rose beside and over its eye, positioned in a triangular shape. Sparks of purple electricity crackled off of the tentacles as the creature channeled a massive amount of magic into a beam of pure energy.

Twilight's eyes widened in horror, adrenaline kicking in, seemingly slowing the passing of time by just enough for her to throw up a barrier around herself and Fluttershy.  The electricity cracked off of the tentacles as a beam of energy surged through the window, disintegrating the small cottage , and straining Twilight's magic, struggling to keep back the intense magic at bay.

It seemed as if the eye monster would never stop, waiting until she could bear it no more. Twilight kept the barrier up though, and within a few seconds, the beam of energy sputtered, and died with a loud conclusion to the death ray. As the dust and smoke settled, the house was revealed to be in ruins, animals in cages nothing but dust, and the cages themselves melted and smoldering. Hesitantly, Twilight lowered the shield, looking toward the hill top where her aggressor had been.

He was gone. Twilight fell over onto her back from her sitting position, exhausted. She had never seen anything this powerful, or raw in nature. The magic the creature used seemed to resonate with instability. It was frightening, for even the darkest of magics she had studied were never used in such an unrefined state. The repercussions on the physical form of a  pony would kill them instantly. But this ... thing ... this monster, could stand it. It could use the pure energy of magic, in its most destructive form. What's worse, she thought is that despite this, the beast seemed to have no thought of killing her, Fluttershy, and all the animals in the house.

Sure, she had faced Nightmare Moon and Discord, but neither of them wanted to kill anyone really. Even King Sombra and Chrysallis weren't on the same level of this thing. At least they knew they were killing someone, but this creature, it seemed, was not doing it out of hate or contempt. It was doing it for some other reason, for it had no reason to just blindly attack her.

It must be linked somehow to what she was told in it's message to her. You seek knowledge it said .. As do I ... It seems as if the beast is capable of not only advanced thought, but of learning and growing. What Twilight had on her hooves was much worse than a Chimera or a Manticore or even a Hydra. What she was facing, was creature more highly evolved than even her, with the means to easily kill anything that gets in its path, and with no remorse or empathy to those it killed.

This was much worse than anything she had ever faced, and despite her encounter with it, it seemed doubtful anyone was going to believe her, or Fluttershy, who was passed out on the floor, passed out from shock. But in lieu of all of this, what scared Twilight the most was not even the fact it had tried to kill her, but the simple fact that she was no longer the scientist. She was not the one conducting the experiment, nor was she in control in any way.

She was now, but another test subject, helpless to alter the outcome of the creature's sadistic experiment.

Hmm ... Melting points for structural materials remains inconsistent ... As does the point at which ... well I'm not sure what it was. The quadruped seemed to channel a sort of energy to deflect the plasma. An energy shield essentially. Interesting. I shall have to run more tests to conclude my hypothesis ...

I levitated through the tree line, still observing the ravaged house. I took note of the lethargy of the lavender creature, scanning its appendages. It appeared to resemble an equine in nature, but a bit smaller. It also had wings and a horn that sprouted from its back and head, respectively. Ah, here's something, it appears this one is named Twilight Sparkle, and she is an alicorn. This is remarkable, there is information in here dating back thousands of years, and to nearly every subject on at least a basic level. I underestimated her reserves of knowledge. They shall prove quite useful ...

Intriguing ... To date, two subjects have survived preliminary testing. I shall further investigate the means through which this was accomplished. For now though, its time to lay low and let the ripple effect take its course ...

Still, I have this creeping feeling that I'm missing a very important piece of the puzzle. Despite my lack of knowledge of this world, I feel as if I'm missing the grander picture of things. While yes this quick increase in data is useful, it doesn't tell me anything about this world or how it came to be, scientifically. Only creation myths and such are stored ... It says something about "Princesses" wielding vast amounts of energy. Now where is it ... ah yes here it is ...

That's ... unique. Perhaps these myths aren't without a grain of truth to them. Canterlot, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow-Dash, Cloudsville, Ponyville, Fluttershy ... These seem to be the most frequently referenced places and names. Interesting. I continued to flick through my newly acquired database, until I decided to pay this, Rainbow Dash a visit.

Element of Loyalty hmm? Important then is she? I shall conduct testing on her at a later date. For now, I think I'll keep an eye on Twilight ...

Meanwhile on Runeterra ...

"What do you mean a spike of energy? A void anomaly?", a towering arch mage asked.

"Sir, we detected a large blast of void magic near a frontier town. It seems likely that another creature has come through the portals, but no sightings have been reported yet ...", an armored guard promptly replied.

The arch mage stroked his beard, contemplating a recourse. The wizard ordered the soldier to leave him, and the servant departed with haste, shutting the large metal door behind him. The mage continued pondering possible actions to take. He looked towards the rest of the council of "Summoners". They were all concerned about another incursion from the void, and it showed on their faces.

"What would you suggest then? It seems nothing has gone terribly wrong yet, so I  suggest we secure the area of the arcane pulse and send out a sear-"

"No ..." , an old, white haired man said. " ... I can feel the creature's presence ... But it is not of this world."

"Well of course its not of this world,  its an abomination of the void!", shot back another wizard.

"No my brother ... it's not like that. It's literally not of this world. It does not exist in our realm. I can feel it's energies near the frontier town, but its not there. I can only imagine that it  would have an active camouflage of some sort ... But still, what doesn't make sense, is that the energies seem distorted, scrambled almost. As if ... As if it was there, but in another plane of existence. That would explain the distortion of the magic coming through to our realm. Yes .... That's it, it must be!."

The council broke out into debate, arguing back and forth over the plausibility of a trans-dimensional creature. After a heated discussion, the magi concluded that within the vast unknowns of the void, it might be entirely possible for such a being to exist. Therefore, they concluded it was best to prepare for an incursion.

"Brother Corvus, I apologize for the timing, but a new champion recently requested to join the League of Legends. She goes by the name of Mackenzie, and she is adorned by one of the finest techmaturgical suits I have ever lain eyes upon. I personally feel that she is worthy of joining the League after the proper formalities and tests have been conducted. What say you then?", a mage spoke sheepishly.

Brother Corvus took a deep breath, and exhaled, letting the new candidate's attributes wash over him. He began to speak in a somewhat grave voice, " I feel, as if she requires a test. Something more than what is normally required. Bring her to me tomorrow evening, and we shall discuss her entry into the League, and that shall be the last I hear of Mackenzie. This council meeting is adjourned for the time being. You may return to your quarters or practice in the summoning room. I wish to be undisturbed for the remainder of the day. Now be off with you!"

As the wizards returned to their rooms, a few heading off to the training room, Brother Corvus began to formulate a bold plan in his head, slyly smirking to himself, even as he cloistered himself in his room.

The trials of a new champion, were underway.

"Twilight! Twilight! Please! Please wake up! Please!" Twilight heard the echo of her friends voice, her vision blurring back into focus. Above her was Fluttershy, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide and reddened by the vicious sobbing.

" Oh my Celestia Twilight! I thought ... I thought you had ... Never mind, what matters is that you're okay! Thank Celestia your okay.", Fluttershy spoke through the sobs, trying to contain herself, while she wrapped her arms around her lethargic friend, hugging her as tightly as she could.

"I'm glad too, Fluttershy, but if you don't stop crushing me, I might not make it anyways." , Twilight responded in a playful, yet spent tone. Fluttershy released her friend, looking into her eyes with two teal orbs of utter relief and joy.

But even as the two ponies recovered, limping out of the destroyed building, and starting on the road to the Library, Twilight could've sworn she saw the shifting of shadows behind her. But too exhausted from her spell, and too determined to flea the area, she dismissed it, hurriedly limping over the bridge and down the road.

A fatal miscalculation.

"Mackenzie, you must promise me one thing. And one thing only. You must promise to return victorious, for if you cannot accomplish your mission, I fear the council could fall to shambles from this disgraceful practice. I know the risks, and I'm willing to take them for the safety of Valoran, but that responsibility, now rests upon your shoulders.", Brother Corvus said to his armored ally. He inhaled deeply before, lifting his arms, performing various signs with his hands, and beginning the formation of a portal. Energy sparked from his fingers as the large circular rune stone in the center of the room began to glow brighter and brighter, until a cerulean portal formed, its energy swirling malevolently.

"Ive managed to home in on the creature's location, but I cannot be certain how long the portal will hold, nor how safe it will be to pass through. Make haste Mackenzie.", spoke Corvus.

Mackenzie towered over even Corvus at eight feet tall in her Heaven-Guard armor. The pauldrons elegantly drooped down into the shape of teardrops, with burning green amulets in the center of each. Her chest plate was a simple piece of magic infused titanium, with a large teardrop in the center that glowed a jade green. Her leg armor was delicate looking, yet durable, fitting the form of her muscular legs, and ending in sturdy shoe plating. Her whole suit of armor shone in an unearthly silver aura, while her helmet was an ornate master piece. Designed in the shape of a corinthian  helmet, it was engraved with various markings depicting water and typhoons, with reinforced glass covering the open sections, two burning green eyes shone through the helmet. A crest of jade green feathers sloped down gently behind her helmet, stopping just at her neck. Within each palm was a series of intricate circuitry, leading to the fingertips of her gauntlets. Attached to her belt was a small metal rod, and an oblong, curvy triangle. Slung on her back was a small metal case of peculiar proportions, with sections of ropey metal showing through. Mackenzie suit of techmaturgical power armor was infused with arcane energies, explaining the green aura of her energy.

Mackenzie solemnly nodded, accepting her responsibilities with pride, and edging over to the swirling vortex of energies.

"Good luck Champion. May your quest prove successful warrior.", Brother Corvus encouraged, the portal now starting to wane. With one final, grim look towards Corvus, Mackenzie jumped into the portal, the hurricane of energy engulfing her. Her quest had only just begun. But even as she plummetted through the portal, unsure of her fate, the creature watched.

And it was ready.

Guardians Can Come From The Most Unexpected Of Places

Hmm ... I believe the most appropriate course of action at present would be to observe the one known as Twilight. I should aquire as much info from her as I can ... Her mind meld seemed to have been incomplete. She was blocking a certain cache of thoughts with sheer will of mind ... Perhaps I underestimated this one. Still ... This is a major setback ... I shall have to conduct a second battery of testing.

I lifted my tentacles as to wrap them around one another. Within a few seconds, I shot up unto the air, propelling myself high up into the sky, allowing myself a better vantage point. I began to scan to the area for the two equines, enabling the detection of heat sources. It appears the two are not far from here ... Excellent ...

Twilight limped forward, half carrying Fluttershy who, despite not being hit, was in a massive amount of mental pain. Fluttershy could feel something in the back of her mind, so tiny that even she thought it was nothing. But within that tiny, most obscure of thoughts, lay the seed of a devious experiment.

It was getting dark by the time Twilight and Fluttershy reached the front door of Twilight's library, and Fkuttershy hastily opened the door, running inside, and cowering in a  corner of a bookshelf. Twilight sighed, and approached her, shutting the door behind her with a kinesis spell. She spoke in a reassuring tone, " It's alright Fluttershy, we're ... we're safe now. That , that thing can't get us here."

"Well it seemed to find us just fine at the cottage ...", Fluttershy choked out, mourning the loss of her animal compatriots, but most of all, of Angel.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I can toss up a smaller version of the protection spell my brother used. Would that make you feel better? I don't think it would do anything but attract attention to us though Fluttershy, it couldn't have followed us all this way without anypony noticing. Why would it anyways as a matter of fact? Wouldn't it have just blown us away the second it got the chance? Look, I know your scared , but this isn't forever. I think it would be beneficial to both of us, to just get some rest for now. I can send a letter to the princess in the morning." , said Twilight, drifting up the stairs to her open air room.

"Why can't w-we send a letter now?", retorted Fluttershy, clearing her tears a bit, and starting towards the stairs.

"Luna and Celestia have their monthly security meeting today, and it'd be rude to interrupt, even when something as strange as this happened. Fluttershy, we've faced much worse in the past, all this creature seems to be able to do is blow things up, even Discord was more creative with how he interfered with us. Don't worry, I've got it under control.", Twilight spoke, laying down in her bed, and inviting Fluttershy in. Fluttershy sheepishly looked at Twilight. "Oh, don't be so insecure, we're friends, and it's just for the night."

"Oh alright, if you say so Twilight ..." , Fluttershy replied, hopping into bed beside Twilight, and snuggling up to her beneath the covers.

Twilight began to think of what to write to the princess tomorrow. In reality, she really had no way of explaining this to her. I mean, despite what she said to Fluttershy, this was the first time she was truly scared of a foe. Nightmare Moon, Sombra, Discord, Chrysallis all came with apprehension and worry, but none of them struck fear into her quite like this beast. This thing was so alien to her, so unlike anything she could possibly imagined. Even the way it moved seemed out of place, fluidly and without forethought. She despised this vile manifestation of evil.

And yet, she both admired, and envied it all the same. When the creature stole her reserves of knowledge, she felt ... empty. She felt as if her life's work had been invalidated in seconds. This creature, had learned what had taken her all her life to accomplish, in just a few moments. It boggled her mind to think what kind of evolution would allow such a  thing to exist. It made her jealous. It made her angry, but most of all, it fueled her ambition.

As she lay there in bed, she came to a conclusion, that might both destroy her, or elevate her to beyond the power of even the princesses. She would not be sending a letter to the princess in the morning. She would not call for help, and she would not run from this opportunity. She was determined to learn the secrets of this creature, not just for herself, but for the sake of pony kind. Think of the things it could do, being able to learn what takes years of intense study, in mere seconds. Twilight, even as she drifted off to sleep, retained a crazed look in her eyes.

While she was putting everypony around her in danger, she knew in her heart that the outcome of this experiment was too good to pass up. Too rare in occurence, and too great were the rewards if she succeeded. Yet even as she slumbered, she felt as if she was being watched. Observed. Studied. Premonitions are generally wrong. However, today was opposite day.

The sky was still, the stars sparkling above a peaceful town. It was not meant to last. The sky above the small, sleepy village of Ponyville began to convulse, and crackle with electricity. Cerulean streams of magic scorched the ground, setting alight houses and awaking the residents to the screams of their fellow denizens. A portal of swirling energies opened up just above town hall, cracking like thunder and sending lighting streaming down upon the ground below. The citizens of the town had been awoken, and at the time, could do nothing but stop in a state of curious fear, as a mass of silver fell from the portal, burning green light surrounding it.

The ponies looked upon in awe and horror, helpless to stop what was to come. The object impacted the ground, sending a shock wave through the ground, and leaving behind a crater that smoke billowed from. The portal warped into nothingness in an instant, as the last streak of lighting ceased, and the only sound in the whole town was the raging of fires. The town held it's breath, a few brave souls daring to approach the crater, and sneak a glance in.

Smoke obscured whatever had come crashing down from the heavens. The few brave ponies stared on in anticipation, that was sated not a moment later. Leaping through the smoke, aglow in jade energy was a massive figure, clad in sparkling white armor. The ponies cowered in terror as the hulk looked down at them with burning green eyes, before dismissing them. The creature looked at it's arm, several plates retracting to reveal a small glass screen. On it was a gps of sorts, able to track high concentrations of magical energy, ranging on a scale of 1 to 10.

Mackenzie was surrounded by a base magic reading of one, eminating from every single pony. Winged creatures seemed to give off a slightly higher reading, around 1.5, while horned creatures gave off a meager 2. She could see she was getting nowhere.

With a quick motion, she launched herself into the air, landing atop a building's roof, and scanning the area. She was detecting a large concentration of magic coming from a nearby area. It gave off an impressive 9.5 on the scanner. Even Brother Corvus only displayed a nine. The creature must be nearby.

Bounding from building to building, avoiding the flames raging on certain rooftops, she quickly reached her destination with an unearthly elegance that seemed improbable in what appeared to be such a heavy suit of armor. She raised her scanner to her face, reading the source of the magic anomaly coming from not 20 meters away. Slowly lowering her scanner, the arm plate retracted the scanner back inside the armor, allowing Mackenzie a view of the anomaly. It seemed to be just a simple tree, easily distinguishable from the rest of the buildings.

Only one problem. It was lit up like a christmas tree, ablaze with cerulean flames engulfing the trunk and branches. Mackenzie remained stalwart, reaching behind her, and grasping the small metal box fastened to her armor. She clicked a small tear shaped button, and the case began to unfold, each piece of the intricate container reforming into a compound bow that nearly matched Mackenzie in height. She readied her bow, allowing her free hand to spark with energy. Within a moment, a hardlight construct formed in her hand, in the shape of an arrow, tipped with a teardrop shaped edge. Notching the arrow, she sprinted into the blaze, knocking through the side of the trunk with a blast of energy from her gauntlet.

Yet even as she approached the supposed goal of her quest, the scanner, locked away in her armor told a dire truth that went unheard. Storming into the blaze, Mackenzie failed to notice the low beeping sound the scanner was making. With a final beep, the scanner's glass cracked, the device overloading. It was only designed to go up to 10m yet it held a much higher threshold up to a 100 rating. The approaching anomaly had broken that threshold with ease.

High concentration of subjects ... wonderful ... I wasted no time in setting to work. I wonder what else I can discover. Magic crackled from the tip of my tentacle, disintegrating the screeching equine instantly. It seems the subject has reacted similarly to the past batch of candidates. Flailing appears to be a universal reaction, an intriguing reaction to pain. Each subject has also displayed a large amount of duct fluid known as tears right before incineration. At present, they appear to serve no function ...

Several minutes ago I observed a large arcane storm rip apart the sky. I have yet to investigate. The experimenting opportunities are endless at present, especially with the number of subjects in the area. I hear a loud thud behind me, and I turn to face a large stallion, who has just tripped over a pothole. He reacts in the same fashion the previous subjects do, as expected. The equine runs screaming away from me, but I decide to conduct a regrowth test, channeling energy into a tentacle, and easily bisecting the fleeing pony.

I float over to where the scorched pony lay, and wait for several moments, expecting some sort of regeneration. Hmm, it appears when bisected, neither half regrows. That's, unexpected ...no matter, this land is rich with information. Still, it troubles me the knowledge I've acquired from Twilight. Ponies are simple and messy beings, yet they are exceptional in their own way. Such interesting evolutional divergence, and yet they all manage to retain the same base attributes.

Even more unexpected is that all organisms to date seem to be unable to sustain sudden removal of organs. Are no organs removable? Just then, a pegasi streaked over me, fleeing from the flames of a building raging with flames. I easily snatched it out of the air with a tentacle, bringing it in full view of my eye. I began to rend the yelping creature apart, testing the flexibility of their bones. This is a fragile species. The deformed, mutilated corpse yielded the result that bones are surprisingly inflexible. I'm not one to question or make judgement on information, but I find their knees obscene ...

Aside from this, the creature's mewling appears to increase during dissection. I've also noticed several smaller adolescents seeking their maternal unit. I shall have to investigate in the future ... A building toppled down beside me, the burning husk crashing to the ground. I quickly shot out of the way, avoiding the flames. I observed a burnt corpse, charred beyond recognition. These creatures really can be repulsive.

No more subjects appear to be in the vicinity, how disappointing. I suppose I should investigate the sky debris now. I quickly floated towards the large plant which seemed to serve as a domicile. Interesting taste in housing. I could clearly see a large hole in the side of the base of the tree. It glowed an ethereal green, while the flames seem to be a shade of blue. I suspect a foreign entity has intervened.

A large explosion occurred overhead as the top of the tree burst into bright green flames. I observed a large metallic object crash down from the building, tumbling and rolling several times before stopping. It appears to be bipedal, very much different from the standard equines I've encountered thus far. The silver biped rose to it's feet, grasping a tension device, and wielding a hard light projectile.

The creature fired at me suddenly, as I just barely dashed out of the way. Hostile elements detected ... This should be fun. The silver female remained silent, constructing another arrow before notching it and taking aim. I charged a ball of plasma firing it just to the left of the subject. She sidestepped, and looked at me with a mocking pose. She almost seemed to say 'missed me' through her body language.

The plasma ball suddenly split at a 90 degree angle, hurtling towards the warrior, and striking her in the side. The impact sent her flying, smoking from the intense heat. Did I now? I approached the subject, ready for dissection, but I did not anticipate her to rise again, quickly rolling out of my reach. She took a hand off of her bow, and I observed a large electrical surge in her gauntlets. She let loose a torrent of chain lightning, a few blasts striking my carapace, while most of them scorched the ground. Irrelevant. I fired off another plasma ball, this time hurtling straight at her. Again she sidestepped, and again the blast split. But this time, she reached for a small triangular panel around her waist, grasping it in her hand. The device expanded in an instant, wrapping around itself to form a shield with overlapping panels. The blast struck, forcing her back a few feet, but she remained unharmed, the shield absorbing the hot plasma.

I shall have to try another approach. Quickly sending a blast of sound through the ground, I located several small tectonic disruptions. I dug my tentacles into the ground, channeling magic into each disruption, and directing them towards the creature. She raised her shield once more in anticipation of another attack. The ground beneath her exploded in a violent eruption of earth, stone raining down upon her. She was forced up into the air, scorched by void energies.

For a moment after she got to her feet, she looked at me. She reattached her bow to her back, the contraption folding up into a case neatly. Her burning jade eyes stared at me, as we waited for the other to make the first move. She slowly reached for her belt, grasping a small metal cylinder. Similar to the shield device, the cylinder shot out to form a nearly five foot sword that she seemed to be able to grasp in one hand with relative ease.

Just as I thought she was about to advance, her whole suit seemed to surge with magic. Her suit began to glow the same color as her eyes, an unusual green. In under ten seconds flat, she manged to imbue herself with extremely potent energy. It gave off a signature not unlike my own, but it had been tampered with and altered. Quite peculiar.

Armor and weaponry aglow, she charge forward, shield raised, and fiery eyes set upon me. I began to surge with magical energies, directing them into my tentacles to be used as amplifiers. I allowed a vast amount of energy to surge into my eye, readying myself to perform the life form disintegration beam. With one final pulse of magic, a laser surged forth from my eye, striking  the warrior dead in the center of her shield. I maintained the beam for as long as possible, letting forth as much energy as I could manage.

The beam died with an audible hiss, as I observed the warrior on the ground, smoke emanating from her armor. I began to approach it. The aura of green energy had seemed to have dispersed itself, and even the inset wells of energy appeared to dim. The silver warrior, with a quick motion, thrust her sword upward, impaling my right tentacle. I looked down at the specimen with disapproval.

The fire in her eyes reignited, as she stumbled to her feet, retracting the sword from my tentacle. How bothersome. With one final glance at me, the subject lowered her weapons, allowing them to retract and clip on to her belt. She began sprinting away from me. Oh no you don't ... She raised a gantlet to her side, a blast of green energy hitting a burning building. I began to give chase, but the unstable structure collapsed, blocking my route. I suppose I could simply fly over it, but for the time being, this one seems to be nothing more than an annoyance. I shall have to remain watchful for this ones incursions into my affairs. Still, her abilities are extraordinary for a mortal being.

Until next time I suppose ... now then back to the study ... A pony ran past me. And then another. And another. The ones in hiding began to flee the buildings that were alight. It appears that genders are more easily discerned by the pitch of their cries ... Useful. As I continue the study of these strange beings, I feel its time to check up on my little , "side project" ...

Twilight was on the verge of collapsing. With a final heave , and a spark of magic, she lifted the unconcsious Fluttershy beside her, setting her down. Twilight collapsed with a sigh on the edge of the inferno that was Ponyville. Her mind raced, unable to make heads or tails of what had happened only minutes before. The vast amount of arcane energy awoke her in a  cold sweat, and in a matter of seconds, the building was alight with strange blue flames. By this point Fluttershy had arisen, but it was too late. A piece of flaming branch had come crashing down through the roof, incapacitating her. Twilight quickly removed her and raced out of the building, hearing only the cries of fellow ponies and the crackling of the fire.

But then, as she made her way to the edge of the library, escaping the blaze, a large explosion could be heard. She couldn't have known what it was at the time, just passing it off as a store of chemicals overheating and reacting violently. Still, even as she lay there, exhausted and confused. Her guess was as good as anypony else's as to why this fire had started. She knew of certain chemicals that could produce unusual flames, but no one struck her as the type to have volatile reactants just lying around. Plus, it wouldn't explain the sheer breadth of the fire, for it seemed to have spread across the whole town by the time she was torn from her sleep.

Moreover, chemicals, even those infused with magic, wouldn't account for the vast amount of energy she had sensed. It was just all so frustratingly confusing. The magic had to have come from somewhere, but where could it have come from? Twilight thought back to a time when she was but a filly, and she had been invited to observe the raising of the sun and moon. Celestia, though more potent than anypony she had ever witnessed, was nothing compared to this. Where Celestia's magic tingled within her, this burst of arcane magic stung harshly.

Twilight began to drift off to sleep, safe enough from the raging flames, and utterly spent. Her eyes became heavy as she struggled to keep them open. It was a battle she could not fight. Her eyes quickly shut, her mind drifting off to a better place and time. Fluttershy on the other hoof had been fighting all night, and unlike Twilight, the fight began when her eyes shut. That tiny little spec of a thought, crammed into the very back of her mind had wasted no time in making itself known. The thought plagued her psyche, and like a virulent plague it swept through her mind, inhabiting all of her brain, until there were no other thoughts inside of her.

She had only one thing on her mind as she slumbered. Acquire subject for further testing, designation : Twilight Sparkle. The Butterscotch pony rose from where she lay, her eyes not hers. They burned with a hot magenta light, illuminating the lavender pony she seeked. Fluttershy quickly dashed to Twilight, and slung her on her back before spreading her wings. Twilight began to rise from her slumber, seeing her friend grasping her. Fluttershy turned her head to glance at Twilight, revealing her hot burning eyes. Twilight was stunned for a moment at the horrifying sight before she began to kick and thrash.

She beat at her friend's sides, hoping to break free, but her grasp was suffocating. FLuttershy had her in an iron grip as she began flapping her wings. Twilight tried to wriggle out of her hold but to no avail. She began to channel energy into her horn, but Fluttershy thwacked her over the head, blurring her vision and causing her horn to flicker.

As Fluttershy took flight with her new hostage, a silver streak hurtled towards the pegasus as she took off. The streak hit her with a resounding sonic wave, sending her smashing into the ground below. The lavender unicorn opened her eyes, trying to unfurl her wings as she plummetted to the ground below. She panicked and had a hard time opening her wings. Thinking fast she began to perform a barrier spell, bracing herself. Sparks flew from her horn as she encased herself in a bubble of magic energy. She closed her eyes in anticipation.

She readied herself for the collision. She waited for a second, and then two, and then three, until finally she could bear it no longer. Twilight's eyes shot open, and what lay before her was not the cold earth she had expected, but the glistening chestplate of a monolith being. The towering figure quickly glanced over to a small heap of yellow, and with the flick of her wrist, a seething beam of jade energy shot out towards the heap, exploding in an awesome display of power, leaving a crater that billowed green tinted smoke.

She lowered her barrier in awe, gazing up at the visage of the tall biped. The creature kneeled down slowly, bringing her face to face with Twilight. They both stood there, one in awe and fear, and the other in curiosity. Neither spoke for several seconds until finally, a low, comforting voice resounded throughout Twilight conscious. A telepathic speech, much like the tentacle creature's. But this voice spoke confidently, and sternly. Even as the voice spoke, Twilight's mind drifted, thinking about the circumstances at hoof. She thought of the Princess, and how she would react to all of this. She thought of Fluttershy who must've been grievously injured, if not dead, but Twilight snapped back to reality, the voice regaining her attention as it spoke.

"I, am Mackenzie, Twilight." Twilight was startled by the knowledge of her name for a moment, but the soothing voice of Mackenzie comforted her in some strange way, even as she worried about Fluttershy. At last the voice continued, with a powerful statement.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. You don't have to run from him anymore. I'm here now...." Mackenzie communicated reassuringly before continuing.

" ... And I am your Guardian ..."