Prologue: Skyfall Part 1 edited
Inthe orbitof Primal Earth
Unnamed PoV
Tired…
I feel so tired, I can barely keep my optics open. The only thing I can feel is my being tired, but I have to stay awake. Optimus could call for reinforcements at any moment.
As my optics start to shut down, I can see the others aimlessly drifting in their own stasis pods, their face plates frozen with sleep. It had been cycles since Optimus left us here in Earth's orbit, claiming it would keep us safe, to keep them safe. Yet... I do not understand why he left me here with them.
I am not like them. They are civilians, while I am one of the last remaining bots from the warrior caste. Perhaps he deemed it wise to keep me here with them than at his side; it does make sense. If I wasn't up here, then who would protect them if the Predacons managed to capture them? Only Primus knows what would have happened to them.
My systems are beginning a forced shutdown against my will, and it is growing increasingly difficult to keep myself online. My fading vision erupts with light as a golden white comet lights up the inky blackness of space, warming my cold, metal body, yet draining me of my fleeting strength. My optics growing heavier by the nanosecond, the last thing I see is the comet arching over the Earth with a tail made up of unknown energy.
The groaning sound of my pod being pulled was echoing in the small space. Even with my optics down, I can still see that unknown energy enveloping the pod, its light shining brightly like a star. Soon, this star was followed by nineteen others. Something was happening, but what exactly, I do not know. I am so tired…
This time I know only blackness.
The Planet Equus,Hall of Legends
Arceus's PoV
With a sigh, I pinch my brow as I stare at my ancient enemy. One that not even I could ever hope to stand against, one so endless that even the bravest of my children would run from it. Paperwork. Oh how I hate paperwork. If it didn't serve the purpose of keeping things running somewhat smoothly, I would have smitten the accursed idea a long time ago.
Part of me rudely reminds me of the piles of vile papers I set upon Celestia like a tide of war when I brought my children to her world. I felt sorry for leaving her with all those piles, yet if I had the choice of doing things different, I would not change anything despite this paperwork. It was worth each sheet of evil to save my Pokemon from our old world.
Slowly, one-by-one, I carefully read each one, but my mind and heart are not in it. They are actively regaling me with the visions of a beautiful alabaster Alicorn with a pale rainbow mane.
''Celestia'' my mind whispers sweetly. A “smile” touches my face as my thoughts are consumed by the pony princess. Dreaming dreams I never dared before. The images brought a warmth into my being, a warmth that was only reserved for my children yet somehow different.
''Perhaps I should visit her in Canterlot. Surely she wouldn't mind having me over too much?'' I mumble to myself. ''But first I should finish these papers. I have been putting it off for far too long.''
With a renewed vigor, I quickly dot my i's and cross my t's, mowing down trade agreements, marking arrangements for meetings with key emissaries from other nations, and other notions that came with being a ruler. By the time I almost finished the last bit of paperwork, my door slammed open, revealing a ragged Palkia. The space dragon has seen better days; his body is covered in sweat and the jewel on his arm has a crack in it.
''Palkia,'' I said with worry for the dragon pokemon, the unfinished paperwork long forgotten. ''What happened?''
''Father, we have a problem.'' said my son before going into detail. With each word that left his mouth, my expression grew bleaker…
Twilight’s PoV
After giving up on trying to get to sleep, I now restlessly lay in my bed. All too much had happened over these past few weeks: the arrival of the Pokemon, us befriending a number of the strange new neighbors, to the meeting of Equus leaders, and the studying their many abilities... I guess all of it just started to get to me. It wasn’t any use, so I kick my blankets off.
My exposed fur bristles at the touch of the cool night air. Leaving my nice warm bed, I trot to my window and stare at the peaceful night sky, and I smile at the silver light of the moon. It seems Luna is in a good mood tonight.
Of course she would be. One good thing that came from the Pokemon move was that Luna had finally gotten what she always wanted: somepony to watch her beloved nights, in the form of the nocturnal Pokemon. But there is another reason for her good mood if what Celestia told me was true. Luna had been getting quite “friendly” with one of Lord Arceus's Legendaries.
Even despite all these new changes, I still can recall the socially inept moon princess that almost everypony was afraid of till that one Nightmare Night when I helped her make her first friends. Now she has grown in her endeavors of connecting with others, going as far as befriending the moon Legendaries Darkrai and Cresselia…
''What are they like?" I found myself asking. "Are they anything like the other Legendaries? I don't recall ever seeing them. Perhaps they are majorly nocturnal like Luna, that would explain why, but still I should have at least seen them at some point. Maybe Luna wouldn't mind introducing us, after all we are her friends."
My eyes glance at passing night Pokemon like Zubats, Hoothoots, and other kinds I couldn't name at the moment going about their nightly lives.
A stray thought enters my mind. ''What would it be like to be with a special somepony?" The question catches me by surprise, unsure of why I thought of such a question or what had brought it up in the first place. Then the vision of Rarity and the Pokemon Keldeo with wrapped tails cruelly dances in my mind.
The two have grown close to one of another. It is rare to see them without each other. There had been times when all Rarity wanted to talk about was Keldeo… and a ping of jealousy hit my heart… Am I jealous of Rarity? No, surely not, I am her friend. What have I to be jealous of…?
"Besides Rarity being the most desired mare in all of Ponyville, a successful business pony, passionate with her work and she has a handsome coltfriend? So no, you don't have nothingto be jealous of.'' my mind states smugly.
I sadly sigh at the words. My mind had been right, I have so much to be jealous about. Unlike Rarity, I was plain. Even with wings, I could never be as gorgeous as she. I was given everything I wanted while she earned what she has with her own hooves. Though I am equally as passionate as her, stallions care more for a mare's looks than her brains. Despairingly, I look to the stars, hoping to find solace in their guiding light. My eyes instantly glue themselves to the brightest of the stars. There, I decide to make a foalish, yet hopeful wish, ''Star that shines so bright, let me have this wish tonight. I ask by Luna's silvery light for an stallion brave and truth to come into my life. A stallion to love me for me… I make this solemn request for I find myself wanting for the love of another.''
Suddenly, the very star I wished upon began to glow a golden white as if answering my pleaful wish. Its light grew brighter and brighter till it formed a giant ball of golden flames on course with the Everfree… ''What!?'' I shout in shock and surprise that the star I wished upon wasn't a star at all, but a great meteor! I watch in horror as the flaming, gold meteor arcs high in the sky far above Canterlot.It suddenly burst into twenty individual pieces, each in various sizes, scattering in all directions like a thunder of wild dragons raiding a diamond dog mine. While nineteen of them head in other directions, one stayed on course with the Pokemon-filled forest, gliding on the air like an graceful dancer until its crash and disappearance into the woodlands.
I let out the breath I hadn't known I was holding, my hooves feeling weak as I slide down from the window with my back to the outside world. ''How close were we from getting hit by that meteor? Inches, centimeters? If it hadn’t burst apart or did so a little lower, Ponyville and Canterlot would be wiped from the map. But still ponies and pokemon have meet their ends tonight.'' Wrapping my hooves around myself to keep from shaking, a thought enters my mind. ''I need to send a letter to Celestia at once, she needs to know where the bit of meteor landed.''
Prologue Skyfall part 2 edited
Warning hull breech
Warning core system down
Warning cool system malfunction
Warning life support offline
Warning unidentified life forms detected
Weapon system damage
Active emergency reboot
.................Loading.........................Loading.................Reboot 100% successful
I feel consciousness return to my body as my optics reboot, revealing the red warning lights cascading upon my proto-steel plated body. Glancing around the pod, I notice several breaches in its hull yet I myself was left undamaged. ''Computer, damage report.''
Shields down by 99.9%, hull integer 79.99999%damaged, thrustersoffline, weapon system 89.7869% damaged. Lift off not possible.
''Are repairs possible?'' I ask, not liking what I was hearing. Somehow, the Cybertonian proto-steel hull of the pod was heavily damaged. There were two things in the known universe that could damage it: Energon based weaponry and proto-steel weaponry.What had happened while I was offline?
Negative, damage is too far. Instinctive repairs are not possible
''Scarp!!! What is our location?'' I yell, slamming my fist into the armchair, with sparks flying off.
''Location unknown…-krrr-... undiscovered planet...-krrr-... unidentified life form detected...-krrr-... threat level unknown...”
I growl in frustration at the computer's timing, but I am not surprised that it died on me. The pod is nothing but scrap, I should be happy it lasted this long. With the last of the pod’s power gone, I manually open door, and for the first time in cycles, I take my first steps outside of the pod. I find myself surrounded by dark woodlands, the bio-sphere reminding me of the sights that Rhinox spoke of back on Earth. I didn't waste nanoseconds on sightseeing; even if I was on a different planet, I still had my mission: the defense of the protoforms. Again, the loss of the computer hits me. Without the computer, I have no idea as the location of the others. It would foolhardy to hope that they were close by, but I still have try… for their sakes.
Silently, I offer a prayer to Primus that the protoforms are safe. I begin scouting the nearby area in an attempt to gather information on… whatever this planet is. As the earth shakes with each step I take, I can’t shake the feeling of something watching me from the shadows. Mentally, I check my personal defense systems: Mini Ion Displacer ammo, 23%; Photon Burst Rifle ammo, 25%; EMP Shotgun ammo, 4%. Immediately, I frown at the low numbers of the Energon-based weaponry. Quickly, I bring up my Energon Levels… my optics widen at the 13%.
''Scrapping Predacon Bumper Kisser!!!'' I curse, shutting down my primarily guns, hoping that, with them offline, my fuel levels would stabilize. I give a sigh of relief once the level raises to a safe 52% charge.
“'It's an A4-13 situation.'' I said to myself, ''conserve all Energon till an adequate source is found or alternate fuel source is obtain.'' With a flick of my right wrist, the arm reformed into an broadsword. ''Nothing like the old classics. I would take blade weaponry over a gun any day.'' I thought before a pillar of flame hits me in the back, superheating the metal. A triumphant roar fills the night air...
Canterlot Castle
Celestia's PoV
With a grim look, I stand on my balcony, staring in the direction of the Everfree with Twilight's hastily written letter in hoof. The letter may have rested my worries for my student and the little village, but other than that, it didn't place my current fears to rest. If it wasn't for Palkia, Darkrai, Luna, and myself working together, the meteor would have hit Canterlot, wiping the mountain city along with Ponyville off the map. It all took all four of us to even push it high enough for it to miss, but we didn't expect it bursting into pieces.
While most of us managed to avoid getting hit, the space dragon, Palkia, wasn't so lucky. he took one in the face before Darkrai and my sister teleported him from taking more damage. It amazed me that the Pokemon were so sturdy. If any other took that, hit they won't be walking away from it, yet the Pokemon not only survived the hit, but the piece of meteor did very little damage to him. Idly, I wonder where the meteor had originated from. We have had them before, but never of this size… Maybe Arceus moving his “children” had something to do with it?
''No,'' I disagree with myself, ''Arceus wouldn't have anything to do with that meteor. There's no way he'll intentionally endanger both his Pokemon and my ponies.''
''True,'' says my mind, ''yet Arceus isn't much for foresight. Remember that he simply foal-napped his Pokemon and the former humans from their homes and brought them here without their consents.''
With that said, I began to think about the Pokemon god and all he had done since he showed up on my doorstep. He caused massive panic all over the world when the various Equuian races woke to find the Pokemon in their beds and backyard, setting mountains of paperwork to siege the leaders of Equus, myself included.
But strangely, I soon found myself admiring the alien leader Arceus...there was just something about him that led me to enjoy his presence, but what? Just what was it about him that I find not only annoying (in a good way) but so refreshing? Is it the fact that he too is an immortal as well, leaving me to find solace that me and my sister won't be left so alone in the next thousand years? Not only that, but his Legendaries were also immortal, if what Darkrai told Luna was true… It seems that life as an immortal had just gotten a little brighter with the arrival of the Pokemon. Things have gotten better since they arrived. Luna is happier since she befriended Darkrai and took him in as her student, Twilight is becoming a better princess of friendship, and most of all, Discord is maturing into a fine three thousand year old immortal.
“Sister!” calls Luna, interrupting my thoughts. But not before they leave me with the mental image of Arceus putting a flower in my mane.
“Yes, Luna”? I call back hiding my blush from the lovely fading mental image
”We have a problem. Arceus is here leaving scorch marks in the Zebrican carpet… again.”
''NOOO!!! Not the five hundred year old carpets! They were a gift!!! I lament, galloping to stop the destruction of my favorite rugs.
