A Journey Across

Book 3 - Burning Hope

Chapter 7 - Dark Bird

5km south-west of Manehattan, 50 meters below ground

The machine had been turned on not long ago. The second the power had began to flow it had perfomed basic self tests. All machines responded. Unlike the mainframe all peripherals were intact and working.

On a small round screen appeared a yellow dot. The computer worked to identify the nature of the magic. The result returned after a few seconds and the dot turned red.

Machines, older than most beings in and on equestria, began to work. Motors cleared the area above the machine, revealing the secret hatch. The hatch slowly opened as the machine grew out of the ground. It was shaped like a mushroom, the stem about 5 meters in diameter and the cap rougly 10 meters wide and 3 high. On one side four little tubes reached out, paired closely in twos and the pairs themselves seperated by about 3 meters. The pointed towards the little blotch on the radar, ready to unleash hell once it was in range.

It waited. It had waited for over 2000 years. It could wait a little longer.

10km north of Manehattan, 10200meters above ground, course 180-0

The pilot had now flown for about 5 hours. His mission was simple. Once above Manehatten, he had to release the bombs and wipe out the city, then return to the former Crystal Empire. The plane was made purely out of crystal and enchanted so it could fly. The four engines roared, pushing the plane forwards to its target.

They had no defense of any sorts. It would be like stealing candy from kids. The two earth ponies in the cockpit smiled. They wouldn't know what hit them.

Central Manehattan

The distant roaring of plane engines was heard over Manehattan. Ponies looked up to the white glinting dot approaching the city slowly. They didn't know what it was. Nopony had ever seen a bomber or knew what it was supposed to do.

The plane continued to roar above the sky, unhindered and free in the endless blue, promising pain for those who stood in the wrong place at the wrong time.

5km south-west of Manehattan, now above ground

The target entered the machines range. Immediately it began to fire. Each tube spat out bullets, rougly 27 millimeters in diameter and 20 centimeters long. Each contained a small explosive charge and was enchanted to reduce drag and increase velocity. The delay between the machine opening fire and the plane suddenly sourrounded in explosions was about 5 seconds.

The optics noticed the small offset in the targeting system and delivered a small correction to the target computers. The distant thundering of the AAA echoed through Manehattan. It was unforgiving and unstoppable, remaining on it's target. The mission was total annihilation.

The shells hit the frame of the aircraft and ripped it apart. The left wing was now completely missing sending the craft into a tumbling dive. It fell out of the sky at more than 300 knots. Noone would survive. The computer continued to fire, despite the plane already burning up. On the radar was the red dot, that represented a magical being still alive up there. The being had been identified as crystal pony and was thus as an enemy.

The explosion continued to echo through the sky. Ponies all over Manehattan stared at this open display of brutal force and destruction. They suddenly saw someone opening a parachute, probably a survivor. Its fall was still fast but slowing down.

Before anyone could think of helping the poor pony the optics registered the parachute. Multiple bullets hit in the direct area, ripping the parachute and the pony apart, before the computer reverted to firing at the plane.

The blotch on the radar disappeared. The machine was satisfied. It retracked in it's secret hiding, switching in standby mode again. Mission accomplished.

The whole scenario had taken place in less than 20 seconds.

The remains of the plane continued to fall towards the ground. By luck, noone was hurt by the debris. They searched the remains but found nothing. The crew of the plane had been wiped out and the remains were to small to discover what it's mission or destination had been.

Below the ruins of Canterlot

The line printer was active again. The mainframe had received a short report from one of it's defensive stations.

Incident-Report 017:

- Defensive Station DS01-MANEHATTAN detected and destroyed 001 enemy target(s).

- No survivors detected.

- Incident match found in database A.

- Timeframe not matching with Emergency Protocol.

Requesting Timeframe adjustment.

Timeframe adjustment authorized.

Execution in T-00:00:00:15.

Timeframe Adjustment: COMPLETE.

Access to Camera 1 detected.

Signal verified. Origin: Tranquility

Downloading flight recorder data from onboard computer.

27 Lifeform(s) signatures downloaded and verified.

Status of Cryogenic Operator confirmed. Current Status: ALIVE/PONY

The cave was filled with the sounds of busy electric equipment. The ticking of relays. The sound of tape drives zooming to the correct positions. The Emergency Protocol had now a reference point in time. It was now clear when the primary mission had to be executed. The third signal had not arrived yet, but that didn't matter anymore.

The subject in the cryogenic chamber was still alive and with the new timeframe, it would still be once the primary mission had been executed. If the computer had emotion it would be reliefed. The subject could now be awoken by the correct people. As planned.

Ponyville Runway Strip

"Doctor, I have something to report to you," said Jeb calmly.

"I'm listening," responded the Doctor. He sat down in front of the astronaut.

Jeb moved around uncomfortable for a few seconds, "While I was busy repairing the radios..."

"AND DRUGGING ME!" yelled Rainbow Dash behind him.

"Yes, and that. Well, I repaired the equipment and picked up a signal. Not only that, I received the signal of something that should not be here," continued the kerbal, "A 'Voyager' probe. Built by kerbals. But that is not the strange thing. After we landed I took a few minutes and analyzed the signal. You have to see, these probes are designed to work for centuries. They are sturdy as hell. At first I thought it had been hit by a asteroid or something. It only reported Yaw and Pitch control and a video feed. Normally these have no video cams on board. Nothing that this thing reported made sense.

"Then I saw the serial number of the radio. You wouldn't believe it." The astronaut held up a medium sized metal casing, "this exact thing is connected to something and it has power. At the same time I'm holding the SAME radio in my hands. Disconnected and offline."

"Maybe we ... time travel in the future?" asked the Doctor, "But the TARDIS has not enough energy. The eye of harmony has been desynced at arrival. How is this possible?"

"I don't know. I only know that this spare part, which I had to deliver as part of my mission, is now active and I can't get it's position," Jeb looked more serious than ever, "But all that is not the unsettling part."

"What is it then?" asked the timelord.

"It's what's on the video feed," he showed the doctor inside the cockpit to a monitor on a side panel, "You see this? A countdown to whatever."

The small display showed a old clock, like you see on some airports, ticking down. The clock displayed '12:23:47:58'. Above the clock where words, imprinted in black stone, 'Time left until Emergency Procedure:'

"What does this mean?" demanded the doctor to know. He was uncomfortable with this feed. It was like the countdown on a bomb, ticking down without hesitation.

"I don't know, but I am sure nothing good."

Castle of the two Sisters

Beneath the castle, where no sunlight reaches naturally, shadows moved. They had been waiting. Waiting to take back what belonged to them. Yellow eyes pierced the darkness.

The strange being, somewhat resembling a pony and at the same time looking like nothing every to walk over equestria, moved out. It stepped in the shadows, although the sunlight didn't harm it.

It entered the big library of the castle and searched for the books. Books of dark magic and blood, nightmares and darkness. It would finally get control over its subject. It would finally rule over Equestria with eternal darkness.