Chapter One: Awoken Sparkle
Jack looked out across the barren desert from under a rocky alcove. He knew it had once been a land known as Equestria, full of life and prosperity, but it was gone..... Replaced by a barren desert only known now as the Equine Wastes. He looked at his rusting cyborg hand. Jack couldn't remember anything past the fact Equestria was once better. And then, as in remembering something he had to do, Jack carefully took off his pack he was carrying and opened the top. Inside was a little purple unicorn filly, with six pointed stars on her flank. She was a lighter shade of lavender or a darker shade of pink, from what Jack could assess. His vision sensors that had helped his eyes had started to fail him, sometimes leaving him blind. Jack worried that soon he wouldn't be able to protect the filly if his vision failed. Jack knew there was one thing he had to do: he had to protect the little filly. Jack looked at the moons and the setting sun over the dessert. Jack thought that this planet had only had one moon, but his memories were not returning, so who knows? Jack looked over the wastes again. His cybernetic eyes taking in the ruggedness of the terrain, and it's inner beauty. He could only imagine what it would have been like back in the supposed old days of Equestria. 'It's been over a thousand years Jack,' Jack thought to himself, 'give it up, it's never coming back.'
Jack shook himself to alert. He then decided to check his weaponry and his body's cybernetic enhancements. He looked at his right hand and then transformed it into a long plasma cannon. Jack transformed his other hand into a concussion cannon. It was a lot shorter than the plasma cannon, but contained equal punch. The weapons were ridden with rust from old age. Jack transformed his hands back into actual hands and activated the jet pack in his back. The wings folded out and to their full length before the thruster started and sent Jack flying out into the sky. Jack looked around at he beautiful night, it was so possible. He kept his eye on the alcove where he was sheltering to make sure the filly was safe. Suddenly Jack's thruster coughed, and then sputtered, and sent Jack crashing into the sand. Jack looked at his hand, and then yelled "It's been six months! Six Damn Months! I have kept us safe, and now this. I'm breaking apart, might as well die!" Jack trudged up the dune towards the alcove when he heard a voice. "Hello? Anypony there?"
'The filly!' Jack thought to himself. As he raced through the desert towards the alcove, Jack retracted his wings and thruster into his back. As he arrived he saw then a giant scorpion attacking the filly. "No you don't" Jack roared as he then reactivated his malfunctioning jet pack. He jumped and flew towards the scorpion, transforming his hands into the cannons and then started firing. Chitin blew off the scorpion as Jack beat it back all guns blazing. "Back you blasted beast!" He yelled. After driving it away, he looked around an then at the filly. Apparently it more mature then he thought, and he groaned as he realized it was a pony. A little purple horse. 'Great' he thought to himself. However, she was cute, Jack realized with a smile. "Alright what's your name? I know you can talk, and it's alright.... I'm gonna keep ya safe and sound." Jack calmly told her as he transformed his hands and spine back.
"Where am I?" She asked inquisitively, wondering at the desert around her.
"I think once upon a time this place was known as Equestria, but now I think it is called the Equine Wastes. I'm Jack, by the way."
"I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Have you seen my friends?" Ask the mare worriedly.
"I'm 'fraid not Twilight, haven't seen many friendly living creatures in a thousand years. And you've been sleeping for say— six months, and you were sleeping in a strange tomb."
"I vaguely remember that, but I specifically remember a feeling of rest.... Where are you from? And are you..... a robot? or a construct? or some weird golem"
"No, no, I am about 15 percent organic, and 85 percent machine, or metal if that's better understood. And before you ask, the metal is rusting." Jack stated in a matter-of-factly tone, then it softened. "But if your the book type, I've got something for ya... and I'm guessing that by that book you had wrapped in your hooves when I found ya. It then exploded in some kind of magic trap."
"Why are you protecting me?" Asked Twilight.
"Divine intervention. I was gonna leave you when a bright light came and tasked me with protecting ya from what..... what wassit..... Ah! The Elements of Insanity. I haven't seen an insane things so who knows. But you, you look hungry, I don't have much in the way of food, but I do happen to have a frozen pancake. I'll fix it in the morning."
"Mmm, sounds delicious...." Twilight literally started drooling at the thought of a frozen pancake.
Jack got up next morning and had the pancake ready in five minutes on a heated rock, then giving it to her. 'Cute' He thought as she started to gobble the giant pancake.
As Twilight finished the pancake Jack started to pack. They couldn't stay still. They needed a different location.... And then Jack realized that they would need to head to the Sugar Sands. A strange place with sweet tasting poisonous sand, but there was an oasis in the center of the dangerous sand with supplies Jack had stored there for an emergency. 'That should keep the wildlife at bay, and provide me with a place to properly clean this metal off of some rust.' Jack thought to himself, he then looked at Twilight, and then with a saddened thought, 'poor thing, having to live in this existence.' Jack looked at her for a sorrowful moment and told her they would need to move, for it wasn't safe where they were. Jack looked thoughtful for a moment and then scooped up Twilight and set her in the pack he had originally carried her in. "That should work, and we can move faster." Jack informed the frowning unicorn. Then Jack wrapped himself and Twilight in heavy desert traveling cloaks and body wraps. Jack had extra, so he had used it on Twilight. Pulling their hoods on, Jack stepped out into the blazing desert. And started towards the Sugar Sands.
