Nighttide Star [Rewrite Draft]

The flash receded to a sea of black once more, but with it came the sound of raging fire. I couldn't see anything, but the sound came from all around and filled my head with its roar. Then I noticed something else – something deep inside me. It was faint at first, but within seconds the cold sensation crawled out of my heart and through my veins.

The sounds were familiar. And they frightened me.

Suddenly, the darkness wasn’t so peaceful anymore. I flailed my limbs in every direction, but it seemed hopeless. There was nothing but empty air. I went rigid – in that moment, the only thing I knew was that I needed to escape the darkness and figure out where I was. I tried to access my system, but my vision stayed blank.

I ran through what I could from memory alone. Nopony knew what warp transport would feel like, or if you could feel it at all. The only piece of useful information I had was the intended goal: I was to be transmitted to a pylon station off-site to a similar graphite room as the one I left. That was it. But unless the room was supposed to be pitch black and on fire, I was definitely not at Pylon One.

Without warning, my body collapsed onto a soft gritty surface, followed by a loud bang. It was still dark, but I could at least feel solid ground beneath me. As the terror bled away, a voice rang through my ears – just before consciousness left me.

__________

It was a strange thing, waking up from an experience like that. There’s no telling how long I lied wherever I did before I regained an inkling of thought. My mind was like a haze, warm and fuzzy in all the wrong ways – like how some ponies described a hangover. The first few thoughts were that of confusion – what just happened? Where was I? But it was all I could do just to think up the questions, let alone do anything to answer them.

Eventually though, the haze began to clear, and the first thing I noticed was a sound – constant, trilling. Rather annoying.

My ears flicked at the sound. Slowly, I was able to make out a voice. “…1032. Distress beacon. LAB-1032. Distress beacon…”

The synthesized voice of a mare resonated through my suit. I had only ever heard the thing speak during trial runs; it was a distress beacon, pre-programmed to sound in an emergency. Hearing it now, wherever the hell I was, did wonders to help wake me up.

Eventually, I rolled onto my stomach, which let me know my suit was still functioning. Once I was sitting more upright, I tried to lift my head. It was almost like I had to relearn how to use my natural muscles; everything beneath my neck felt fully functional, but just the act of looking up was short of impossible. Slowly though, I was able to pull my neck back and straighten my head.

Beyond my closed eyes shone a bright light of some sort, which felt unusually warm. It had been ages since I felt the warmth of the sun, and while I couldn't tell where the light was coming from yet, it felt the same – it felt familiar.

It took a minute just to crack open one eye. For the first time in years, I felt a pleasant sort of pain as I adjusted to the brightness of the land around me. Once I grew used to the light, I lifted myself up and prompted my computer system. For once, I was glad to see a little green dot light up in the corner of my eye.

Per protocol, I switched the beacon to a radio transmission and restarted my systems. A moment later, the same synthetic voice from before droned, “DIRE LAB-1032. Reactor online. Sensors online. Weapons online… All systems nominal,” followed by a series of beeps. I drew in a breath of cool, surprisingly fresh air, and examined my surroundings.

I stood in a small grassy clearing of some sort, my mis-jump having left a charred crater on the ground beneath me. Flowers and trees and bushes of all sizes surrounded me, while buzzing insects and birds flitted through the air. A large mountain range sat in the distant horizon, silhouetted by a clear blue sky.

I blinked. For a full minute, I stared straight up at the brilliant sky – clear and empty and seemingly boundless, save for the bright yellow orb that loomed far above. To anypony else, it probably would have just been any old clear sky. To me, it was a sight I almost forgot could exist.

Whatever the case, it was clear I had missed Pylon One by a good bit – perhaps a continent or two, if this sunny little paradise was any indication.

After running a sensory sweep of my immediate surroundings, I decided to try exploring the area. But soon as I took a step forward, my right hind-leg buckled, and from it came the screech of grinding metal. I looked back at my leg with a groan.

“LAB-1032 Diagnostics,” my suit droned. “Damage report: Rear-right gaskin, biceps femoris. Artificial tendons severed. Hydraulic leak detected. Fluid being purged to recovery tanks. Superficial damage to right flank.” I looked back to see several deep scuffs across my flank, along with some grass stains that did a peculiarly good job of matching the green lights.

This wouldn’t do. I didn’t have the proper equipment to repair the damage on-site, so I would need to find a repair site soon. I looked around again, but saw nopony and no building in sight. Only the lushest of nature made up the land around me.

Then, something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. At first, I thought the... thing was yellow, but upon turning my head, I found a small white creature with long ears hopping toward me from some nearby bushes. The creature looked familiar: a rabbit, I thought they called it? A perfectly harmless creature, if I recalled my zoology. But considering the situation – lost in an unknown land, my hind leg dying – I wasn’t about to take any chances. So, I followed protocol.

Two metal plates unlocked along each side of my barrel. I called out calmly to the animal, “White creature, identify yourself.”

The creature stopped part-way, taking a moment to fiddle with one of its ears before hopping toward me again.

I turned to face the creature, extending the plates out and away from my barrel to reveal two rotary cannons. I called out again – this time, with feeling. “White creature, identify yourself. Friend or foe?”

The animal hopped closer, undaunted by either my voice or appearance.

There was nothing I could do at this point. Spinning the cannons to life, I dug my hooves into the ground and aimed at the creature.

Just as the weapons were ready to fire, a timid voice called from the bushes behind the creature. “Angel, wait!”

The creature stopped just in time for me to halt my weapons. I stood up to face the voice from the bushes, when a yellow mare with a long pink mane scampered into the light. “Angel, you should know better than to keep running away like that!”

I blinked again. Hard. Never in my life had I seen a pony with such a vibrantly colored coat! Manes were one thing, and I was no exception to that. But for someone to dye their whole coat? And yellow?

As the mare approached us, I examined the pony more closely, keeping my position fixed and weapons trained. “Yellow and pink pony, identify yourself.”

The mare picked up the rabbit and looked up at me with teal eyes. With a nervous blink, she said, “Oh, uhm… hello. My name is Fluttershy.”

Aside from the mare’s strange appearance, she didn’t seem to be a threat. If anything, her name fit her demeanor quite well – which made me only more nervous. “Friend or foe?”

Fluttershy furrowed her brow, glancing at the cannons protruding from my sides. “Um… well, friend, I guess?”

With a hiss of steam and hydraulics, I retracted my weapons, though I kept the plates unlocked. Stepping closer to the mare, I introduced myself. “My name is Nighttide Star. I am a weapons-grade prototype of DIRE, Labyrinth model ten thirty-two. Could you assist me in determining my location and a place to undergo repairs?”

Fluttershy met my gaze again, her expression shifting from apprehension to concern. “Repairs? Do you mean you're hurt?”

I turned slightly to show off the scuff marks along my flank. “I suffered some damage during an experiment.”

With noticeable hesitation, Fluttershy took a step toward me. As she looked over the black scorch marks etched into the surface of my suit, she said, “Oh dear, this isn't good at all. Does it hurt?”

“Weapons-grade models have selective nervous systems and an exterior alloy hull,” I flatly replied. “Pain is not an issue.”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “I'm not sure what that means, but… I would be glad to help however I can.” She reached out to touch the damage on my flank, but I pulled back a little, extending my weapons slightly. “It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you,” Fluttershy assured me with a soft smile. “May I?”

I squinted at the mare. Standing this close, I realized she stood a full head shorter than me, and unless the mare was hiding a weapon or three in her ridiculously long mane, I didn’t see any way she could be of harm. So I retracted the cannons and gave her a single nod.

Fluttershy ran her hoof gently across the scuffs along my flank. Her eyes widened when she touched the alloy of my suit. Prodding the three domes along my flank, she murmured, “Oh, my – what does this cutie mark mean?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Cutie mark?”

Fluttershy looked back up at me. If this pony really was up to something, I never would have known, as the concern that shone through her eyes seemed as clear as the sun overhead. “Nighttide Star, I think you should meet one of my friends. She may be able to help out more than I can.”

That seemed like an odd proposal. A friend wasn’t exactly what I needed – unless they were a mechanic, of course. Then again, there was no telling where I was. If this were one of the more rural areas of my homeland, then it was possible the mare simply didn’t know.

Letting my gaze drift, I considered my next move. Protocol dictated that in a situation like this, DIRE units should stay on alert, keep contact with others strictly business, and wait for assistance. But I wasn’t exactly keen to the idea of sitting on my rump and waiting for some suit to whisk me back to the city. Besides, it wasn’t every day I got to go outside, let alone when the sun was out.

Although it wasn’t quite protocol to lock down weapons in a situation like this, I couldn’t help but be swayed by the mare’s words – not to mention the idea of getting to see more of this gorgeous place. Thankfully, cyborg or not, I still had free will.

“Understood,” I said, closing the plates over my cannons. “But first: can you tell me our location?”

“We're just outside of Ponyville,” Fluttershy said with a hint of a smile. When I tilted my head, it quickly faded. “In the land of Equestria. Does that help?”

My gaze drifted again while I ran a search through my database. Nothing. “Unfortunately, I have no record of such a place.”

Fluttershy furrowed her brow once more and looked off to my side, apparently deep in thought. After a moment, she gave an almost imperceptible nod and looked back up at me. “Let's go meet my friend and see how she can help. Can you walk?”

I nodded, but as I turned to take a few steps forward, steaming red liquid gushed out of my injured leg. Fluttershy went pale at the sight, which I may or may not have smirked at.

“Well, I can't walk far, I guess,” I calmly said at the sight of the leaking fluid. “May I ask for your assistance?”

Fluttershy stared a moment longer at my leg before blinking up at me. And that was when I discovered a major oversight.

Two huge yellow things suddenly sprang from out of the mare’s sides, stretching high into the sunlight. With barely a thought, I busted out the cannons and planted myself firm where I stood, spinning the barrels to firing speed. I doubt even a second passed before I realized what it was I was staring at, and for a brief moment, I forgot I had a set of live weapons about to fire upon the mare.

“Get down!” I screamed – which in hindsight was a pointless thing to do. The mare had already thrown herself to the ground, smothering the white creature beneath her chest.

“What?!” she sputtered, right before the air split with the buzz of rotary fire.

A thick line of rounds flew over the mare’s mane, tearing through a fat oak a few hooves away. I shut the guns off and slammed the brakes against the rotors, but not before a pony-sized chunk of wood was swathed out of the tree afar.

Once the brakes ground the rotors to a halt, I was left standing, smoke pouring out of my sides, staring wide-eyed at the cowering pony in front of me.

I suppose most ponies in my position would probably have leapt forward to help this pony up, shouting apologies and all sorts of stuff in the process. You want to know what I did?

I stood there. Just staring. This was the first time I had ever fired live rounds at a pony. The first time I came close to ending someone’s life. It might seem comical to a bystander, but I promise you, neither of us were laughing.

I’m really not sure how much time passed. I know it was long enough for my ears to stop ringing, and for a bird to announce its cheery presence somewhere nearby. Eventually, Fluttershy’s rabbit poked its head out from beneath her chest with what I swear was a homicidal glare. It turned after a moment and gave Fluttershy a couple taps with a paw against her muzzle.

The mare rose to her shaking hooves, hiding most of her face behind her mane with her ears folded back. She looked up at me with a single teal eye and muttered, “D-did I do something wrong?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Closing it, I gulped and pulled the cannons back in my barrel. For once, I was glad I had prosthetics, otherwise I would’ve been shaking uncontrollably. “No… n-no. I’m sorry.” I drew a breath and collected myself as best I could. “It’s just…” Lifting a metal hoof, I pointed and said, “Are those…?”

Fluttershy blinked at me. She lifted her head and squinted at my hoof, then turned to look at her side. “You don’t mean…”

I nodded.

Whatever fear was still in her system seemed to melt away. She looked back at me and fluttered the thing from before. “My wings?”

I didn’t even answer her. Stepping forward, I squinted at the feathery yellow appendage. Stupidly, I asked, “You can fly?”

“Why, yes,” she answered, as if it were a perfectly normal thing. “I'm a pegasus.”

I looked over Fluttershy's one outstretched wing and noticed it was, in fact, a natural part of her body. And behind that wing was a tattoo on her flank of three pink butterflies.

I shook my head. “I have so many questions…” I glanced back at my injured leg. “But I guess they’ll have to wait.”