Prologue: The 12th Crusade.
Blood smeared over the metal claws that replaced his fingers. Combat model that replaced his arms when he lost them nearly fifteen thousand conscious years ago. He knew not how long it had actually been and he didn't care. Not with what he was facing now. They had no idea what it was or even why it was. Sword in one hand leveled out at the dark thing that rose up from the corner of the ship. Blood dribbled down from its dark ethereal talons and fangs.
He was all that was left. Pausing for a moment as he kneeled down kissing his daughter's forehead as his left hand slid out from under her head laying her still upon the cold metal deck of the ship. He wished he still had his fingers so he could have felt her soft hair over them one last time. For the last ten thousand years these men and women were his comrades, his family. Now all that remained of the 12th Crusade of the Monarch's hand was this one soldier. "I have no idea what you are... but you literally cannot do any more to harm me than you already have...."
He stood up leveling his blade at the thing and glared. His pure white eyes strained as his pure white hair flowed over the streams of telekinetic energies that flowed off of him as he readied himself. He knew without a shadow of a doubt this was his end. All he desired now was to send this thing off to the depths of whatever hell it had crawled out of before he joined his daughter and wife.
257 souls on the ship and his was the only one that remained. His wargear flared with power as he pushed it into overdrive and the dark thing rose up screeching and gurgling before it charged. He did not budge an inch, simply letting it plow into him and sink its teeth into him. Fangs made of shadows punctured through his moleculary reconstructed steel armor and into his flesh. However, instead of pushing back like all the others fighting to the last breath. His every last ounce of power flowed inward upon a single point creating a singularity keeping the dark beast from retreating, as one small fraction of his mind and power reached out further. Past the darkness abomination that tore at his flesh, past the hangar bay they had all retreated to, and into the reactor that powered the warp engines and the FTL drives. In one motion his over extended powers overloaded the reactor.
Bjaarn did not see what happened next, he only opened his only remaining eye that was already half drowned in his own blood after what seemed like an eternity. He would honestly be surprised if any of his bones were not broken. His eye swiveled about seeing only trees. Trees and the large piece of his ship's hull that had impaled him pinning his body to the ground. A quick test showed that his right arm still worked despite it missing two fingers. His left arm however he could not tell if it was burned out or simply lost in the explosion. He didn't know or care why he was still alive. He only knew that it would last mere moments before it faded.
Just as his vision began to go dark he heard something. His eye shot open again and he saw something odd. A quadruped. It was light gray with hooves and a single horn protruding from its head. How strange, no matter... I guess I could use the company... just wish it was better company...
His eye began to close again as he heard the small beast speak. It was nothing he recognized but it quickly highlighted something that could be extremely important. This being was sentient. Lifting his fractured mechanical hand his power drew the small equine closer until its struggling fearful face was firmly grasped within the metal fingers. It struggled harshly but surely when he was done it would forgive him. It began screeching for what he assumed was help, this made Bjaarn's stomach churn. He hated being cruel but he did not have enough time left in his life to try and explain to the poor beast what he was trying to do nor did he did have enough time to complete this without taking some risks. With all his power he forced his way into the young being's mind. Forcefully expanding his mind and shaping it until he could work with it, he was unsure of what it would do to the poor creature but the stakes were too high. He needed to warn the monarchy. Surely they would never truly find him but with this creature maybe, just MAYBE he could influence this sentient mind to leave something behind that would explain the fate of the 12th Crusade and warn them of the thing that sleeps between the dimensions.
Expanding the creature's mind and filling it with all he could he left only what he was able to. A drive to leave a message in the fabric of space and time for any who would come looking for him or his dead family. He poured in his love for all things, his thirst for knowledge and his keen mind. If the beast survived it would be a whole lot more clever than those around it.
The last of his power flickered and gave out just barely in time. He released the young being's head and it stumbled back, its barely conscious mind appeared understandably fluttered and in shock. It nearly fell over only to be caught by another that looked down at Bjaarn's tattered body and what he assumed was the ruins of his ship.
"....I... I am sorry... so sorry... to you... to my patriarch... to my matriarch..... to my people.. don't wait up for me.... I will... c..come... on... my... own..." His eye closed for the last time as the very last flames of his strength and life snuffed out. His heart stopped beating, even as the implants tried to start it again. Because of the previous injuries his body was already flooded with adrenaline and other such drugs in desperate attempt to keep him alive. However, he was long past the point of medical help and all that he could see now was the light and his daughter's hands reaching out to him with her warm happy smile.
"By the moon!... Starswirl are you ok?...that thing... what is it?" The second Unicorn on the scene looked over the youth that looked to have just been assaulted by the odd now dead creature.
The young Unicorn simply stared. The thing that had grabbed him spoke a language that was clearly alien but he understood it, not just the alien language he understood everything. He looked out at the land and understood why gravity pulled, he understood why the sky was blue, why plants were green, why blood was red. He knew so much. Right away just stopping to think he thought up a method of spellcraft that would triple his output of telekinetic strength. Whatever it did to him he was now a hundred times the pony he once was. He was just 14 years old but he could feel it and gauge all he had seen before, he was easily more powerful than all others he currently knew. But the odd feelings still burned brightly in his mind.
"..y...yeah Im ok...we should bury it... This may not have been a pony.... but it still had a soul. It deserves to be buried." His eyes leveled at his old friend who gave him an odd look.
"You want to bury the monster that just tried to eat your face?....ok Starswirl... you do that... Im going back to the village and telling them what happened... Chances are they will want this buried too just not for the same reason."
Starswirl nodded then sat firmly in the grass on the cool night. Watching his friend leave only one thing was left on his mind. How in Tartarus was he going to leave a message carved into space and time to warn and inform an alien race that may or may not show up within the next fifty million years.
The the early morning sky's soft starlight mixed with the light of the full moon gently shining down on the new statue of Starswirl the bearded in Twilight's garden. It had just been installed upon her request, she wanted it ready for when she opened the castle doors for the public. After all the traveling Starswirl the bearded museum agreed to host their entire exhibit in her own castle. She had plenty of room for it, and this way she got an excuse to spend extra time with all the 'Starswirlly goodness' as Pinkie called it. However, this had to wait till AFTER the summer sun celebration which again this year was in Ponyville.
Ever since Luna's return Ponyville had become quite a popular spot for many things. Whether it was fate, planned, or something else; nopony in Equestria could argue that Ponyville, despite being small was a very important place as of current. That and for some time also the home of the princess of friendship. The summer sun celebration was not entirely a surprising thing to have in Ponyville anymore. Though the happy ponies who made it a point to go every year had only just got settled in from all over Equestria, as did the Starswirl the bearded traveling museum. They had almost finished setting up everything but decided to break away to make sure they were in time to see Celestia raise the sun.
Everypony was happily scattering about getting their treats before the street vendors closed just so they could see the sunrise. The Wonderbolts had to drag one of their hungrier members off so they could be in place on time for the big event. Twilight stood waiting just off to the side of the stage, Princess Luna and Celestia had offered her a place on the stage but she respectfully declined. Half the Apple family showed up as did the entire Pie family. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo watched from a cloud happily snacking together. The whole town was here and read
The last of the crowds gathered happily and the sisters stood tall for them. Smiling and waving the two waited until Mayor Mare finished her ever so flattering speech and the crowds died down a little. Before walking into place Luna gave a warm smile to her sister. "I am glad we can do this together my sister... I don't think this will ever get old." The heartwarming smile then was offered to everypony who stood before the sisters as Luna raised her head and lowered the moon gracefully, then Celestia took to the skies and raised the sun in splendid fashion. They looked upon their ponies happy only that they were happy. Millennia of trials and pain, every day was worth seeing her precious ponies live and be happy. They could ask for nothing more.
The light of the rising sun shined bright and Celestia began to descend slowly for effect. It worked too, looking into the happy faces of the masses of ponies. Though her heart skipped a beat when a massive shadow cast itself over the crowd. Luna too turned about as the smiles in the crowds vanished replaced with worry and mostly fear.
Panic spread like wildfire as they all saw it in the sky. It blotted out the sun, it was so massive that it nearly swallowed up the entire sky as it slowly drifted allowing the sunlight to shine once again. Ponies stampeded out of the open to get to cover. Quickly the royal guards struggled to maintain order. The pegasus who did not panic quickly swooped down to pick up young ones that could be hurt under hoof. Twilight leaped up onto stage quickly coming to Celestia's side wearing the same mask of fear.
"What is it?....wh...what could that be?..."
Celestia and Luna both turned with the same confusion. It looked to be that they were about to answer before they suddenly cringed in dire pain, as did Twilight, and every single unicorn and alicorn across the face of their world. Every magic bearing race could feel the pounding voice within them. it was not a voice of anger or conquest, but a voice of pain, of sorrow. It was a voice of a broken and dying thing, despair, a fragile flickering candle in the soft wind.
'We... seek... him...are you... there?....we... burn in our... loss...in our pain...'
The words were CLEARLY not equestrian or any known language but all who heard the words understood them. This did nothing to calm the populace of the world.
"Sister!... it is much larger than the moon but not larger than the sun, just a lot closer let us move it!" Luna's still frightened voice rang out over the clattering panicked ponies.
Celestia agreed with the thought. But this thing was colossal. Even if she were to move it, it was doubtful that she could place it anywhere that would hide it. In truth Celestia had already been feeling the thing out to try and see exactly what it was. It was round like the sun or moon only dull dark gray, like it was made out of old yet poorly polished iron. It was clearly massive, easily only 20% smaller than the sun itself, yet it was almost as close to their world as the moon was. "It is worth a try sister...." She was still concerned that the massive form in the sky did not appear to even in the slightest, effect the gravity of their world. But she cleared her mind for the task ahead.
Closing her eyes Luna and Celestia both reached out to grasp the mass in the sky. Even Twilight stood up beside them. She had only raised the sun and moon once before though that was with all the alicorn magic in Equestria flowing through her and even then she almost could not do it. Though she still had enough power to at the very least help. The mass in the sky began to glow with the mixed colors of their magics but just as slowly a rich red glow flushed over the sphere in the sky and forcefully brushed their magic away without even the laziest of efforts.
The three Alicorns reeled back in shock and the small level of pain that accompanied the show of force against their power. "What was THAT!?" Twilight shook her head trying to regain her focus as the mass stayed perfectly still in their skies. Her eyes narrowed sharply at the shape in the sky.
"Sister!... there!" Luna pointed up firmly with her hoof. Following with their eyes, Celestia and Twilight could see what Luna's sharp eyes had picked out of shadows of the massive form. It looked like a grain of sand at the massive form of light and darkness. It took some time but they could all tell it was moving quickly, growing and moving until it was both only around two miles above Ponyville and the true scope of the 'grain of sand' could be seen. It looked smooth and sleek in design. Black and gray in color and the size of all of Canterlot all within the space that was above Ponyville.
Anypony who had not been screaming and panicking before now made up for the lack of such actions. Celestia's outstretched hoof leveled as her voice bellowed orders to the royal guard. "Rally! We know not what is transpiring but not one of my ponies may be harmed, TO ARMS!"
The guards rushed into position as all who had not yet ran for cover were ushered away with speed just in time for the new shape in the sky to let out odd puffs of clouds that quickly appeared to be some form of exhaust for three large metal shapes roughly twice the size of a large carriage each. The whole way down the Wonderbolts pestered the metal objects like they were alive and hopefully able to be driven off. Just barely missing the houses each heavy metal frame rested in surprisingly small craters. The royal guard leveled spears slowly approaching.
Every hoof fall was in dire caution and endless suspense. One such guard, only just barley close enough to poke the nearest metal object with his spear gulped and inched closer. "... What is this thing?... I think ... I don't think its..." A loud clank and hiss made the guard jump so hard he almost lost his helmet. What looked to be a metal door popped open, dropping to the floor and something rolled out. Covered head to toe in metal it walked on two legs stood only four feet tall and peeked about curiously with small naked eyes before seeing the guard, its face had a surplus of emotion as it too jumped landing in the open and almost waiting arms of what looked an identical being only two feet taller with a sharp visor and helmet covering all its fleshy features. The second being placed the smaller one on the ground and gave it a firm swat upside the head before turning to the guard who in a panic thrusted his spear up at the bipedal creature. His eyes clenched shut in fear and panic the young guard did not see the flash but he smelled the smoke. Opening his eyes he looked at his spear which had been utterly obliterated, all he now held was a smoldering shaft of his once standard issue weapon.
The bipedal creature holstered an odd looking object still wafting blue smoke and gently extended its fingertips which quickly and effectively brushed the guard aside with an invisible force like if he was made of paper. Unharmed but scared out of his mind the guard fell flat foaming at the mouth. Other guards approached before the metal object that had fallen from the sky opened up entirely. a small handful of other short and small beings popped out along with one utterly massive nine foot tall creature of the same general shape but it radiated a power very similar to unicorn magic at an extremely high frequency. The new beings appeared too thin in certain areas to hold biological bodies within as the other two types seemed to have, as well the being before them unlike the others had a chest that did not gently raise and fall to show that it breathed. It spared only a single glance down at the guards of which few charged throwing spears or lashing out at the fearsome metal giant. The weapons harmlessly bounced off and the giants ignored the ponies as they stood firmly between ponies and the smaller bipedals.
Celestia stared in question and fear. Flying up to the small group of non ponies she could see slowly making their way away from the crowds. "HALT!... By my right as ruler of this nation I command you to halt!... who are you... why do you intrude upon our nation?" She glared firmly but the metal giants paid no attention to her, slowly walking as the other much shorter beings trotted along.
"Celestia!... The direction they are heading!" Twilight pointed firmly from above. She had flown higher to get a better view of the town only to notice that all three of the metal objects had released the same thing and all three groups were heading in the same direction. "They are heading towards my castle!"
Celestia did not want to resort to violence but this had too many unknowns. These beings utterly ignored her and refused to even attempt to communicate now they were heading towards Twilight's castle. It would not have been that big of a panic if it had been any other building but they knew close to nothing about the magics flowing through the building. They only knew that it was connected to Equestria as a whole, nopony knew exactly to what extent this magic could be used. Fearing the worst she prepared herself and swooped down blasting a mass of her magic at the metal giants. She aimed for their legs hoping only to slow their advance, hoping desperately to salvage what she could of this event and end it without some sort of war she was uncertain she could even win.
The magic arced towards the metal giant but took an extremely sharp turn as it violently ricochet off an invisible force. One of the smaller beings stood atop the metal giant's shoulder staring up at her, a staff in its hand the small being bent its knees and sat firmly on the giant's shoulder turning away from Celestia. Celestia's reaction had to be precise. It appeared these things did not want to fight, whatever the little thing did it clearly just deflected alicorn level magic with relative little effort but still did not retaliate.
"Guards!... fall back...Sister... with me... do not attack... Everypony stand down!.... Twilight you come as well..."
Luna took to the skies joining Celestia as Twilight made her way over as well. Slowly they followed, despite being what appeared to be a very powerful group of individuals with nopony even capable of halting them they seemed to sure take their sweet time making their way forward. "Sister do we plan to let them just do what they like?... surely we can do more, do you plan to mount a conjoined effort? Shall we hit them with more powerful spells when they are away from the populace?" Luna glanced at her sister as she watched the alien group carefully.
"No...." Luna's eyes went wide and she stared at her sister. Twilight too was a little concerned with Celestia's answer. "You can feel it cant you?...the same power coming from these few... there is something MUCH larger from up there..." She paused to point a hoof at the mass in the sky. "These few judging by their actions are NOT here to harm anypony... and honestly.. seeing what they have done so far do you really think you could do ANYTHING to stop them?"
The returned answer was an aggravated silence from Luna and a nervous silence from Twilight as the trio made their way along the same path, following the strange bipedal creatures. "Luna, Celestia, we already know they are going for my castle. We don't know if they will prevent us from following or not, so lets get in there first... maybe we can find out what they want or stop them from doing something terrible."
Celestia paused as if weighing the idea and risk but Luna with an annoyed sigh flared her power and teleported them into Twilight's map room. "If they are coming then they are obviously coming for the map!... we all know its got some crazy power with near unlimited potential... lets put this to the test. Perhaps when they unleash the power of the map we can feed off of it and strike them down, we will then have a new weapon..."
Celestia nudged her sister and gave a firm 'shhhhh!' Staring out at her she moved a little closer to the door. "Don't be so quick to find a solution in violence..."
"Sister!... this is our home, I will defend it and our ponies to my last breath...even if the fight is hopeless." She sternly glared at Celestia as if to tell her that surrendering was just not on the menu.
Twilight stepped between them clearing her throat. "Um... ok I am all in favor of defending Equestria but calm down, they are at the door" She gestured for the sisters to be silent as the group listened. Even this deep into the castle the sounds of the front door to the castle being fiddled with could be heard, mostly because the lock was magically set so the 'sound of fiddling' was the loud crash of a metal fist plunging through the front door.
"Ok... they will be following the power signature from the map... step back you two and lets see what happens..." Luna cringed at her sister's words but nodded stepping back firmly along side Twilight. Celestia herself stood slightly closer than the other two, if she could, she would gladly stand between whatever harm may come from this event and the two closest ponies to her in all her world.
The footfalls of the invaders sounded clearly though for some odd reason the metal giants seemed to desire to remain outside. Twilight gulped and Luna crouched as the sounds of the two footed patterns slowly made their way up to the door, then with some confusion, PAST the door. The entire group could be heard not so much as skipping a single stride as they made their way past the map room.
"Wait.... what?.... Sister.... what is going on?" Luna's expression was one of grave confusion and almost disappointment.
Twilight's eyes shot wide and her ears dropped low. "um... There, um.. there is something else in the castle they might... um.. most likely are after....."
Both sisters glanced back at Twilight as she moved forward and pulled open the doors gesturing for them to follow. The three Alicorns moved quickly down the halls following the crowd of aliens until Twilight screeched to a halt spreading her wings firmly calling the others to a halt and she leveled a hoof, pointing at the sight before them.
The alien group had entered one of the larger rooms in the castle, the very same room designated by Twilight for a certain group to set up in. "The traveling Starswirl the Bearded Museum?" Celestia poked her nose in. It took her a few seconds to realize that they had posted guards who were promptly ignoring her despite that she only noticed because she was a mere two feet from them. They looked at her with a quick glance then continued staring firmly at the others who stood in a soft semicircle with only two figures standing in the center digging through the displays. However, they did not appear to be damaging anything, simply being very very careful to open things and sort through them. It did not take long at all for them to find what it looked like they were looking for.
The shorter one hefted the small metal box, Twilight had seen it before. It was something of a knickknack that Starswirl had apparently dragged everywhere with him. All that was known about it was that it was used as a chair when he was traveling and he took it everywhere when he traveled. Though this did not answer why these beings were interested in the little box.
The smaller one lifted the box up to the taller one who took it firmly. He took it in a single hand and focused, an invisible force could be felt welling up inside him before it released peeling the top off like a tin can. The tall figure looked within the box and shuttered. His armored hand came to his helmet and pulled it off revealing a tired pale face with pure white hair. He shivered for a bit before he threw his helmet against the floor before crumpling to his knees looking into the box with tears dribbling down his cheeks.
"M... Malok'ter... Es bven Bjaarn..."He held the box to his chest firmly curling up as the smaller one came to his side pulling off its helmet to reveal two perky almost cat like ears atop its head, dull gray hair over a weathered bronze colored feminine skin. It looked female and old, not very old but old enough. She too teared up as she stood next to him. Kneeling with him she hugged him. Luna quickly and quietly cast a spell that crackled inside the ears of Twilight and Celestia before clearing up. They did not waste time asking what it was for when the answer came out quickly.
The tall one spoke again in a gruff masculine but broken and sad voice. "My boy is gone...we are far too late, they are all gone..."
"Terahone!... you could not have known....no one could have. He is remembered by all as a hero... " The smaller one drew out a pure white cloth and laid it gently upon the ground before reaching into the box and removing its contents. One metal hand missing two fingers, Though it swirled with magic beaming with bright runes. She lay it gently in the cloth and wrapped it firmly. "Terahone.... I am taking what is left to the hall of heroes... the Patriarch himself will lay him to rest... your son has returned to us...."
He shrugged off her affection but did not get up. "I thank you for your sympathy Tarashushu... but it is not needed.... I am all that remains of my lineage...when you return to the ark... tell the Patriarch that I have chosen my end here....I want only to see my boy again... my boy... his daughter... There is nothing left for me on the Ark... the Golden Crusade will continue without me..."
The Small woman shed a tear and nodded. "As you wish....The Monarchy, the Empire, and the Tribes will miss you...may she forever guide your steps and reunite you with your blood...." She turned to leave as did the others as the man breathed in deep and looked up before he exhaled and his already pale skin went even more pale and he simply slumped over. The life had left his body. Only one of those retreating from the room stopped. He gently reached over plucking up the old helmet that had been thrown to the ground before turning to follow the group.
The small woman and another of the taller bipedals stopped firmly at the door and the woman leveled her eyes at Celestia as her ears remained down. She placed a small device between them on the ground and Luna's spell squealed in their ears before failing and the woman spoke in plain Equestrian. "I suppose we owe you and your kin an explanation...."
All things must have an ending
The ship hummed and grumbled lightly as it moved into the upper atmosphere and towards the ark as they called it. Celestia watched with keen old eyes, but she still could not make heads or tails of the woman known as TaraShuShu. Even with her reaction to Twilight's words. It was almost haunting to realize just what had happened and why. Twilight's words echoed in her mind. "....Hes dead...." Twilight, with near panicked eyes looked down at the motionless form in worry. He was not breathing, nor was his heart beating. "Hes dead!... you... you just let him die!"
Tarashushu glanced across the landing craft at Twilight. "I apologize that you had to see Terahone die, he was a good man. A hero of our people, his son saved our galaxy three times, and my empire twice. He was my closest friend..."
Twilight resisted the urge to erupt into emotional turmoil again and stared back angrily. "Then why did you let him die?" TaraShuShu simply shook her head and Twilight growled angrily. "If he was so important to you then why?...you never let a friend just die...."
Celestia pulled a hoof over her shoulders and pulled her in. Twilight did not know the face that the woman wore, but Celestia knew it well. It was just one shade different from despair. "Twilight, be calm... I know for certain this will all make sense when we speak to this Patriarch..."
"You can feel it can you not?..." Celestia looked up at the woman who's face had not changed. "I can only just barely.... our race is not suited for feeling the emotions of others... but surely you with your abnormal power can feel the souls around us?"
Celestia stepped forward and bowed her head. Her horn gave off a very light glow. With her magic flowing through her all she could hear is the sad songs of thousands and the weeping of millions more. It wrenched at her heart. It was the voices of endless lost souls mourning the deaths of an untold masses. It was too much for her to bare and her eyes snapped open as her magic blocked the weeping voices. "..w..what is that?"
Tarashushu calmly spoke once more, Her voice still a little saddened. " I am Empress Tara Shu Shu...of the Nekomian empire... leader second only to the Goddess... one of three races that fled our galaxy in the ark. Those voices, they are the souls of those we lost, from within the hall of the fallen. Our races left in the ark on the golden crusade over a million years ago...most of that was spent in cryogenic suspension. We slept for hundreds of thousands of years, waking only when we believed we may have found the Monarch..."
"The monarch?..." Celestia's eyes narrowed, she was almost sure she could piece this together, but there was a bit more that she was not quite getting. She almost wished she would have taken Luna along instead of leaving her behind so the ponies of Equestria would not panic. "Monarch for a monarchy?, I assume he is one of your leaders?"
She shook her head firmly. "No... he is the goal of the crusade. Before the golden crusade the Patriarch and Matriarch of the Monarch's hand alone would send out crusades to search for the being that gifted them and their race with their power and their infinite lifespan...They launched 34 crusades before the Golden crusade was founded..."
"Wait you said you were fleeing..."
"Yes... Normally ONLY the Monarch's hand would go on these crusades but... our enemies were beyond count and we could only run. And so the Shardan built the Ark and it housed our worlds keeping them safe until we could complete the crusade..."
"Wait... worlds?"
TaraShuShu nodded pointing out the window as the ship rapidly approached the surface of the Ark. Passing through a massive gateway the sight of three planets and around two dozen moons, and one star within the center of the massive protective orb. With her power Celestia could feel the star pulsating. It was condensed and forced down to that size while maintaining its power to heat and protect the worlds that spun around it. Celestia could only dream of what kind of power or what level of technology was required to hold into place entire worlds like this.
"This... wh.. what is this?" Celestia turned to see Twilight who seemed to not be taking to the vastness of it all too well. "How ... th.. this isn't possible! The gravity of the outer shell alone should be pulling the planets out, never mind OUR planet... how is any of this possible"
"I do not know, I am just the empress of the Nekomian empire... It was the Shardan who put this together... and it was done before I was born..."
"Which planet is this Shardan on?" Celestia spoke calmly trying to give the area a calmer aura. Twilight was already at her limit for all this chaos, Celestia did not want her doing anything that she would have to dig the young alicorn out of.
"Not planet... mind you there is a difference between the Shardan... and THE Shardan...." She cleared her through and pointed to the center of the Ark at the small compressed sun. "THAT... is THE Shardan.... the 'other' Shardan are the metal giants... Their souls are encased within and they use the metal bodies to interact with the rest of the world."
Celestia took note of it, she had thought they were either some sort of magical construct or golem but this hinted at them being sentient. They were people, just like the others on this ship and on those same planets.
The ship rocketed forward descending into the atmosphere of one of the worlds. Though it did not land on the surface. Instead it made its graceful landing upon a massive castle that floated gingerly in the skies of the world below. The doors opened and slowly, Celestia stepped out, followed by Twilight who looked back at TaraShuShu who strayed back.
"Welcome... to the Ivory Citadel..."
Their heads turned to the source of the voice and their eyes picked out two figures. One short and one tall. Both with long pure white hair. The taller one was a male who's hair nearly reached his own ankles. He wore white and cyan blue robes. His face was something that appeared utterly ancient, but was not able to age. His every motion stirred the feeling of endless power, even the lightest of his breath was like the entirety of the latent magical field was wavering. The shorter one was female. She too had cat like ears, but what set her apart from TaraShuShu was mostly that she had a tail. Long and furry white like her hair. Though their power seemed endless and their souls calm, neither wore a smile or so much as an ounce of happiness in their aura.
The man's lips parted and he spoke again. "You are the leader of the sentient race upon the world we found then?... I am very sorry that we came so unannounced... We only came for one of our own.... and we now have him... you have my word that your world will be untouched. Though a great many of our people may choose to be buried upon your world, if it is something you can make arrangements we would be very appreciative..."
Twilight twitched near angrily. "Choose to die?... you are going to just let them die?" She glared at him
Unphased by her wrathful glare he spoke back in the same sad, near broken voice. "Yes... I have asked far too much of them to stay with me this far.... it would be downright cruel to refuse them burial upon their own accord."
Twilight was about to speak out again in rage but Celestia pulled her back a few steps and spoke in her place. "I apologize, we are just a little put off by this.... willingness to die and the ease at which you and those around you seem to accept this...."
He eyed her and nodded. "I suppose it is odd for those who have not experienced as we have... come..." He gestured calmly for them to follow as the two bipedals walked calmly, Though the smaller woman did not speak. "I am the Patriarch... this is... well as she is called... the Goddess..." She nodded firmly and he looked back at Twilight. "It is hard to explain... but I will do the best I can... Tell me young one... do you have any children?..."
Twilight shook her head firmly but before she could speak he continued. "How many of your own children.... have you seen die?.... how many do you think you could see die before you desired to rejoin with them?.... How many of your own children could you see murdered?...enslaved?...eaten?... raped?.... How many could you live through?..."
His voice raised as he stared down at her. "I am the Patriarch, the father of my race....there are now so few of my true kin that I have not fathered left I can count them on a single hand....Over 90% of my entire race was purged in the extermination wars... as the two great destroyers of our galaxy purged everything....Trillions of lives extinguished, enslaved, raped, burned, eaten. By the Dark Advent who knew nothing but to consume and breed.... then the great evil... the most tainted and demented race we have ever known. The race that chose its path of destruction and purging. The race that called itself Humanity... the Faithless race ... the very few that we have left have seen their brothers, their sister, their mothers and fathers, their children and their children's children destroyed for anything from a single moment sexual pleasure to something as painful as being to purging for the sake of purifying the galaxy of all non human life."
His voice calmed and his hands trembled lightly. He looked almost feeble. He clearly looked young but the way he moved was like that of a man who was at the end of his lifespan. "After a million years of war, death, and fleeing from a race that has forfeit the idea of morality, of right or wrong...after countless generations of pain and suffering at the hands of monsters, whether they were born monsters or chose to be monsters, we earned the right to rest, to die upon our own terms... I only asked my children to try and reunite us with our creator.... I cannot demand anything else from them... not after how much they suffered..."
His hand extended and a helmet drifted from NaraShuShu's hand into the Patriarch's waiting and open hands. "Every time we wake from our sleep and find a new world, a little more of my children seek out the final rest and I cannot deny them it." He stared at the helmet knowing full well who it belonged to. Mourning the loss of the man who wore it.
Twilight did not know what to say, even Celestia was speechless. They watched him look at the helmet with empty soulless eyes before passing it on to the Goddess who held it firmly and passed it on to another who took it back into the darkness with them.
Twilight opened her mouth trying to find the words "...D... Death is not.."
The Patriarch seemed to only take a single step forward, but oddly he was now inches from Twilight, placing a single hand on her forehead her eyes shrank and she fought the urge to vomit as he opened her mind to hear the voices around them. The thousands of souls weeping at their pain and loss, the thousands more waiting to join their loved ones. Stumbling back her eyes instantly watered in great pain and sorrow as she crumpled. "I do not expect you to understand.... you are a mere child.... I have lived a conscious life that is immeasurable even compared to her." He gestured to Celestia who did not seem very surprised that he knew she was rather long lived.
He stepped back as Twilight stared up at him eyes drenched in tears and pain. His hand moved and again an object floated to it. The carefully wrapped metal hand settled gently in his palm. He inspected the device and gave a sad sigh. Finally the Goddess spoke. "He is with us again.... all the crusades are accounted for...we must give our people the choice... we must honor the oath..."
"Wait... what oath?" Celestia felt a spark of emotion run through the air. With how immense these two's power was it was easy to pick their emotion out, especially since they seemed too tired to try and hide it.
The Patriarch frowned and stepped forward. "There were over 30 Crusades before the golden crusade... it has take us until now to find them all... and now that I have... I must follow through on my promise..." Before they could ask he answered the question they were afraid to ask. "My people reserved the right to perish once all the Crusades were found."
"Perish? Wait!... you are going to commit mass suicide?" Celestia's eyes shot wide and Twilight let out a shocked gasp as their stomachs churned. Celestia understood why they would decide such a thing but she did not want her world to become a mass grave for these poor lost souls.
"And what would you have me do then?... Force them to continue?...Take away the only relief they have?... We are ageless, we will continue to live under the bleak pain of our existence. It is in everyone's best interest for us to perish, our own included. We can only shoulder so much pain before we need to be saved from the pain. In the end its all the same, we were once a mortal race, but the cost of immortality is too great. We cannot continue like this. Not even the Neko with their short lifespans can continue. All they see, all they feel is pain and death. From birth to death, it is but a moment to us, a simple breath. But to them, they are born and feel our pain. It is not right to my people and it is not right to them to subject them to our endless pain." The Patriarch's face betrayed a hint of anger, but not at them. More so at himself for letting his people and his allies suffer for so long. "I do not want my people to die, I have served them for tall this time, protecting them and feeling their loss, shouldering their pain as best as I could for all this time. I do not want my people to die any more than they wished for their children to be destroyed by Humanity."
"Please... wait... Come with us..." Celestia looked up at the Patriarch. It was odd laying eyes on something taller than herself but it did happen from time to time.
"What?..." The Patriarch and the Goddess both glanced at her with a fair amount of confusion in their eyes.
Catching on Twilight stood up next to Celestia. "Yes... Come back with us, we too are without age. Not all of us but the Alicorns here, we guide and protect Equestria..."
Celestia nodded putting a wing over Twilight. "Indeed. We may not be as old as you, but I have lived long enough to fall into the same emotional trap as you, I have seen my closest friends live and die a hundred times over. I know what you feel, perhaps I cannot understand the scale but I know the pain. But this death is not the end, come... come with us, it may not be a paradise but joy, kindness, generosity, everything. We have harmony here. You are in pain, and what can resolve this pain may be in our hearts, we are willing to share if you are willing to try. You need not let your entire race perish... come and forget the pain, at least for a moment."
The Patriarch looked legitimately surprised. "I... I do not want to see my people die... but it is not my choice.... my people seek an end to their eternity, and I promised them that choice." He reached out and softly touched Twilight's mane. "I would love to reignite joy in the hearts of my people... I would die for a mere chance to bring the will to continue to them.... but, its' not always so simple."
Celestia was about to say something when she noticed him flinch. "They have already began..." His gaze fell upon the world they orbited.
"They feel the return of the last of our kind... I cannot deny them any further...." He looked back at Celestia, the pain in his eyes was without end.
His eyes closed and his voice rang out, not physically but through the minds of all present.
My children. The last of us has returned. We are complete, we are whole again. The destroyers of life cannot find us, and not a single soul is unaccounted for. I cannot ask any more of you than you have given. I am proud, proud of my children, proud to have been your father..... proud to have known each and every one of you for these thousands upon thousands of millennia. Your oaths are fulfilled your duty done your work complete. You have no obligation to stay, your loved ones are one short trip away, guided and watched over by their mother. I thank you all, you have done more than you ever needed to, you have given everything you ever were and everything you ever could. The past is an ugly scar over you, a scar you do not deserve, a scar you NEVER deserved. Do what you must, but keep in your hearts the kindness of those who struggled with us. The Qun Qun who perished in the first human war, the Shardan who stand watch even now, the Hequari who stood against the full might of the dark advent to allow the ark to escape, the Nekomian empire who stood as the center of joy within the council, within the galaxy. Without these brave souls we would never have succeeded, we would have been lost and broken. We go now, to perish on our own terms, our own way. Forgive me my children. I wanted to hold onto you forever, it is not my place, forgive this old fool forgive me, and goodbye.
His empty eyes stared now into the world they flew above, the skies alight with the power of millions flaring up and dying out. He fell to a single knee weeping. Celestia stepped up, she had no idea what to say but she calmly touched his shoulder.
"There is nothing I could do or say to express the sympathies feel for you."
There was a deep rumbling and the whirling and clicking of metal on metal as a great many Shardan many stories tall stood up beside them as if they had just been there from the beginning, they watched with soft glowing eyes that stared blank over their metal mask like faces The Goddess stood too beside them.
"We cannot express our regrets in words, nor our sorrow that you were exposed to this. There is very little we can actually do now." Her eyes shifted planetside and she breathed a deep sigh. "Not all chose their end, but it is unavoidable, the Monarch's hand has ended. They go now to reunite with the Matriarch. Her loving embrace awaits them."
A deeper calm wise sounding voice chimed in slowly. "We knew this day would come, but we knew not that such young races would be here to witness it.... "
The tallest of the metal giants looked down at Twilight who wore the same mask of horror and pain. She had just witnessed a mass suicide millions in number. She knew she could have done nothing to stop it, but she still felt like she should have been able to do at least something. "..w....what will you do now?" Twilight failed to hold in the raw emotion coursing through her as she addressed the Patriarch.
".... I am not alone, and it is my place as their father to protect what little children I have... I will stand until I am the last, but please... allow me time to mourn.... I am sorry you were taken up in all of this, please return to your world with knowledge that it is safe..."
Twilight hesitated but before she could speak Celestia's words rang out. "Come with us!.... all of you, This ark of yours served its purpose, and now it is just a reminder of your pain. Come with us, live out the rest of what you have right here with friends...."
The Patriarch stared as if he was unsure how to respond. The Goddess however smiled and kneeled beside him tugging at his arm to get him to stand again. "Come... we have had thousands of years of mourning, let us go with them. Your people are free and reunited with their loved ones. We won... look at them, we have drowned in despair for too long, let us bask in their warmth and joy. They are good and kind souls. We need them.... My people too need this joy. And we can give to them in return...."
His eyes panned over them all and with a single movement the Shardan already housed within bodies stepped aside allowing the Main shardan to reach out and possess the white citadel. "Go.... Tsaara....go and live for once... The Monarch chose you because you had the love of a father in your heart, you stood between that which you loved and cherished and that which desired to destroy it. You have served his will for thousands upon thousands of years. Now your children have grown, they have left.....They are where they need to be. YOU.... need to live for you.... just his once....live for you. Nara will be waiting for you on the other side.... she always has waited and she will wait for you until you go to her upon your own accord.... I have lived for millions of years, and I have seen no finer a man... nor more stubborn....just do this, for you...."
He looked up at the massive sentient star and shed his tears. Looking back at Twilight and Celestia. He smiled warmly and stepped forward.
"....That.... that is a lot to take in sister.....a whole lot..." Luna sat in her chair less than calmly. Having listened to Celestia's tale and read the decree she was writing.
"Indeed it is. But I am certain that Equestria will benefit and our new neighbors will be quite a boon to our culture. Only ten thousand Neko came.... and they all promised to keep an eye on their population, as well they mare taking up the space in the desert that nopony we know of CAN.... they are making use of bad land.... giving to us in return taxes, laborers, culture, and as they said... if ever it is needed, soldiers."
"But what of these Shardan?" Luna poked at her sister with a hoof.
"Oh they will live with the neko, save for the primary which is deconstructing the ark and setting their old words in orbit around ours. He will of course hide them, but he intends to leave them for 'discovery' by the ponies if ever they find out how to leave our world to explore the stars. Until then, he will guard and protect all worlds within his grasp, and if ever we perish, he will ensure that the sun continues to rise and set."
Luna nodded and let Celestia get back to work on her decree. Walking gingerly she found herself back in the throne room where 50 oddly pale white ponies with various specifically cyan colored cutie marks all stood. Most were Unicorns but one stood taller than the rest. He smiled warmly at the number before him but there was a great sadness about him along with a certain aura of joy.
"I assume you are our new friends?" A few flaps of her wings and she set down upon the stone beside the taller pony.
He gave a soft bow and smiled. "...Yes, I do hope we are not doing anything.... odd. We are quite unused to this..."
"No... nothing wrong, just... my sister told me you were immortal and endlessly powerful.... you look... almost... old and fail..."
He chuckled and stepped up. "I would hope so... I shed my power, with it I would never die, never see my precious wife again... never reunite with the rest of my race... lest I chose to end my life as they did. These few are all that is left. We are not much for deserts, so.... we decided why not? And as you can see, we took up a form your kind are quite familiar with and we now will reside here as ponies." He paused and stepped a little closer. "If ever you need more from us, just say the word, but until then... we will be busy dying the natural way."
His smile was warm and Luna could tell it was honest. She would welcome this, no matter how crazy the day was. Aliens coming to live in Equestria, New planets to worry about, immortals giving up their power, mass death. Even under the circumstances she was oddly at ease with everything. One look back at the now ex Patriarch and she could tell for now at least, so was he.
~~THE END~~
