After a light day at school and a very short chore day. Applebloom was feeling rather good about her life. Everything was, quiet and seemed to be winding down as she looked out her window over the apple orchard. She laid her head down on the window sill, to listen to the sounds of the night settling in. Except something didn’t sound right, she could hear the birds and the bugs, but there was something else it seemed like one of those balloons that whizzed around the sky in Canterlot but quieter. She reopened her eyes and tried to scan the orchard for anything out of the ordinary. But the slight sway of the tree looked like the breeze but. She stuck the end of her hoof into her mouth and tested the air. Nothing the air was still. So what was causing the trees to move? She looked around again but couldn’t see anything yet the tree’s kept moving. She ran away from the window and raced down the stairs only to be stopped by her older sister.

“Whoa, their sugar cube… where’s the fire?” she asked. And Applebloom started to prance on the floor. Trying to formulate her response,

“The trees are moving, and I, don’t know why sis?” she said hoping to convince her sister to let her go check. Her sister just chuckled and shook her head at the little filly.

“Sis, it’s the wind?” she closed her eyes and walked off Applebloom watched her go and shook off her sister’s comment. She had tested the air already, and she didn’t want to waste time arguing with her stubborn sister. So she raced out of the farmhouse and into the woods. She ran out until she could hear the slight buzzing a little clearer. It was any bug she had heard of, but yet strange things have been known to come out of the woods from time to time. But that didn’t stop her in her pursuit of what was causing the trees to move. She started to imagine all kinds of things that could be making the trees wave any number of creatures could be big enough to do it.

Her mind made up several scenarios. But her mind started to think of less cute things, and it made her a little wary of what she was going to find. When she stumbled across what was causing the tree’s move, and it took her breath away. It looked like a giant beetle hanging in the air. But she couldn’t see any wings or what kept it afloat as it hovered a couple of feet off the ground. Its shell was a metallic red with blue lines are drawn across it that swooped and blended into each other. It looked fancy like something that belongs in Canterlot. She almost walked out of the bushes to look at it further when it suddenly dropped the last few feet into the ground with a thud.
The sudden drop made her squeak and hid in a nearby bush.

Then it got back up just a little and let out legs so it could stand properly. But why didn’t it do that when it first landed, Bloom thought to herself? Maybe it was a baby and didn’t know yet. She thought and looked at its size again and was suddenly afraid of the thought if this was a baby then what did the mama look like and how big was it. Then she heard a slight whoosh, and something not as big as the ship but taller than her for sure jumped out. It had a leathery hide and stood on two legs, it held out its hand and made what she could guess as an angry gesture.

She crawled trying her best not to make a noise as she crept closer to the creature. It had spikes and what looked like wings on its arms, and it seemed to be motioning towards something. Once she got close enough, she could see that the red parts cover white parts like some kind of jacket or clothing. But her mind was taken elsewhere as her eyes caught on the blue light in its hand that moved and flashed. She got closer and could hear a strange noise coming from the lights but yet it looked like they were talking to each other. She didn’t understand but it really did appear to be speaking to the light through looks and hand motions. She wanted to get closer it didn’t seem to be aggressive as it communicated with the light as she scooted a little closer and forgot to check her hooves before stepping and she snapped a twig. She froze in place and hoped that they wouldn’t hear her. They stopped talking and scanned the area. She held her breath. It was a while before they continued to talk and she finally released the breath she was holding and peered back over the bush to see the little light start to shine a long blue light over some bushes in front of it. She didn’t know what it was doing till it suddenly moved to her bush and shined brightly. She squeaked at the sudden light and fell backward in the bush making a bunch of noise.

She turned to run away when she heard a swooping sound and the big red things jumped in front of her making a threatening noise as it bends down with its hands out. Before she could do anything, she was scooped up and held very close to its scary face. She cried out and flailed her hooves in fear, but it just stared at her. It turned her over and looked at her then at the bright light thing that was getting closer, her mind filled with thoughts of aliens and abduction and experiments. She struggled even harder till it moved and flashed closer to her. It started to make noises strange beeps, then something close to equestrian.

It said “hold” this got her attention, and she stopped flailing so much, and the light seemed pleased as it said more words in strange orders. “You….. Take, stop,” it seemed to be saying random things, so she spoke back

“What?” she asked, and it chirps happily then started to speak in full equestrian.

“Hello I am Ordis?” it said and she looked at it and held out a hoof

“I’m Applebloom.” She said nervously, and Ordis seemed pleased

“Oh, how fascinating a tiny colorful talking horse how. He seemed to switch voices for a second “odd?” the other voice said then it went back to normal “cute” it finished and Bloom stood in awe at the talking lights. “Are you part of the native species? I hope you are because that means your natural and not part of the infestation which would make Ordis so very happy.” She looked at Ordis for a second with her mouth hanging open in shock as her mind tried to make sense of everything the light had said. Then the red thing shook her slightly causing her to yelp a bit and Ordis to get annoyed “Operator, please be gentle my scan shows her to be a youngling.” He said, and the red thing looked down at her.

“Ya ponies are natural here,” She said

“Splendid!” he said and looked at the Red thing again “she not an infected beast she’s a native,” he said, and it growled slightly and held her at eye level again looked her over and then sat her down. It walked back to the shiny beetle, and Ordis got closer “Ordis is happy to meet you Applebloom, That is the operator he’s a little grumpy but not bad. Ordis apologizes for his behavior.” She looked at the Red thing again and then back at Ordis

“Nothing to it Mister Ordis But are you all Aliens are you gonna invade us or something like that?” she asked, and Ordis stopped moving like he was thinking

“No nothing like that Ordis is a stealth ship, and the Operator is a Tenno, so invasion by us is unlikely.” It said, and Applebloom sighed with relief

“If you’re not here to suck our brains out or nothing why are you here?” she asked and Ordis Chuckled mechanically.
“That is partially Ordis’s fault I found a strange star chart that listed this planet and Ordis wanted to check out an Old planet so Ordis set a course but in Ordis’s Eagerness Ordis forgot to check Properly and ended up having to land here rather unbecoming.” He explained and Applebloom put a hoof to her head and looked at Ordis before explaining

“Well, you all are on my family’s apple farm in Ponyville.” Ordis looked around and bobbed slightly

“Yes, I do detect a lot of Fruit tree’s with a large quantity of fruit I count 1000 apples just in the immediate area alone.” He spoke, and Applebloom nodded in pride

“Yep and I help grow them alongside my family. “

“Ordis sees a family business fascinating. Ordis asks may I scan one of these apples?” he asked and Bloom seemed wary.

“I don’t know my family depends on the sales and I can’t go out and give away apples for free.” She said, and Ordis bobbed in midair before speaking again.

“Ah Ordis sees” he turned to the red thing “Operator Please pay Bloom here for 1 Apple, please……. Uh, Right Price, Ordis Sees.” He turned back to bloom “how much is an Apple?” she told him one bit and then explained what a bit was, and Ordis then turned back to the red guy.

"One Plat should do it.” He said, and the red thing looked at her and put out his hand, and another light spouted from his hand, and he pointed with his claws till he dropped it down and handed her a shiny silver round bit that glowed slightly. She took it in hoof then got closer to a tree and kicked it as hard as she could but nothing fell. She looked sad then tried again and again. She looked embarrassed. She heard a huff when she saw the red thing jump up the tree and grabbed an apple easily then fell back to the ground effortlessly she stared in awe at the move, and it handed the apple over to the light who scanned it gleefully.

“High in vitamins and excellent condition. Operator this object would provide great frame benefits.” It said and it picked back up the apple and turned away all bloom could hear was a crunching sound, and the red thing flashed blue, and when it turned around again, the apple was gone core and all. She wanted to say something about not eating that part, but she didn’t want to argue with the thing that could handle her like a toy. And had a blue outline for a second then gave Ordis a thumbs up.

“Splendid Operator my thoughts were right." Ordis started to fly around the small area admiring everything.
Applebloom walked a little closer to the Red-colored frame and put a hoof to touch the back part it was hard and leathery and warm to the touch, even though it looked like a coat it moved like it was breathing. She let out a small woe, and the red frame looked at her, and she withdrew her hoof from its leg. It knelt down and patted her head softly. Ordis stopped suddenly and turned red with an alarm blaring around him and the ship. “Alert Operator, foreign lifeform detected,” he suddenly yelled, and the red frame looked at bloom and made a hand gesture towards her. “NO, not the small horse, The Infection has been detected it… must have clung to our ship when we entered the warp!” The red frame suddenly drew two long red blades and struck ready stance, and surveyed the area.

“Infection has been detected, Operator!" Ordis blared an alarm, and the red frame surveyed the area again but couldn’t find anything. He shots the cephalon a look, and Ordis got angry “No Ordis is not malfunctioning!” he gave Ordis a look, and Ordis got madder. Applebloom looked on in confusion as the two arguing. She back up and heard a gurgling screech.

She spun around to see what looked like a green moving tree with tentacles the new monster gave a gurgled roar in her face, and she screamed. She turned to run, but the tree monster stretched an arm to reach her. The horrid limb went through the filly’s leg causing her to scream louder than ever. The pain was searing and instant. It started to drag her through the dirt with her crying out. Until the red frame cleaved the squirming appendage. He picked her up causing her to cry out again.

He set her next to Ordis who scanned the filly and flashed a warning, but the frame had already returned to wipe the ancient creature and all traces of it from this world. It shrieked and moaned at him, but he swiftly swung the red blades. He took a deep breath in and spewed forth cleansing fire. His scream was spectral and haunting, but with it, he razed the area till every trace of the virus was wiped clean. He returned to Ordis who looked at an unconscious Bloom sadly. He kneeled as his spirits fell as his eyes met the filly’s leg. It had already turned hard and silver with traces of yellowish green. It had been so long since the infection could be spread through touch he had forgotten that it could. The filly jumped to her hooves suddenly. When she put weight on the hoof yellow gases escaped with a rancid smell.
When she faced the red frame tears streamed down her face as the infection swarmed her mind. It crept up her face seeping into her right eye turning it yellow. Her tears stained a murky green. She swayed and panted Ordis floated little closer.

“Pony bloom?” she looked at him slowly

“Mister Ordis?” her eyes tried to focus on the bright lights she tried to rub at it, but the silver hoof offered no help. “I’m having troubles seeing you...” her body spammed again as the infection created into her snout. Ordis dimmed sadly,

“I’m sorry miss bloom… I hope the void is kind to you...” he said solely, and she looked at him with a confused face.

“What...” the red frame drew a single sword and gripped it tightly as he held it overhead ready to put the filly down. The only thought he had was wishing he had an Ether sword. It would be cleaner and less painful. He heard a voice call from in the distance female with a southern accent he felt his hands loosen momentarily.

“Applebloom where are you?” it called out, and Bloom turned to it slowly.

“Sis?”
Then his blade fell.

Author's Note

I'm going back through and editing these chapters better.
Thank you all for the support you've shown this story.