Hope of a Saiyan

Future Trunks opened his eyes, the white light fading away. He wiped his eyelids as the sudden brightness nearly blinded him. He saw that he was in a darkened room, filled with tables stacked with papers, chards, boards and a map of Equestria.

"Wh-where am I?"

The unicorn raised their hooves over their hood and draped it down, revealing a two-toned light purple mane. They then removed their gas mask from their muzzle, revealing their face. With a cough, she spoke, "You're in the Rebel base. We should be safe from Starlight and her army here." she explained.

Trunks raised a brow, seeing how big the place was. He could tell it was a primitive underground facility. "I see... Who are you anyway? And how did you find me?"

"You really weren't being subtle. Our secret cameras found you fighting off Starlight Glimmer and her army from the castle. I must say, I'm impressed by your abilities. My name is Sweetie Belle, and we are the Resistance."

Crossing his arms, the half-Saiyan sighed, "Resistance? Sounds like my home all over again."

Sweetie Belle raised a brow, "You're home?"

"It..." Trunks paused, "I-It's nothing to worry about. Are you able to fill me in on what's happening?"

"Of course... But first I should introduce you to my friends... Those who are able to fight." Sweetie Belle responded. She opened a door, gesturing for the Saiyan to follow. Trunks did so, seeing just how compact the space truly was. "We make sure to find as many ponies as possible, and take them back here, away from the wrath of the Dark Masters."

"Dark Masters?"

"That's what we call them." Sweetie elaborated. "They are the ones who turned this world into the wasteland you saw. We've been fighting them for years, hoping to end it."

Walking around were more ponies, all of them wearing armor of some sorts. Trunks noticed the tired, weary look on all of their faces, 'I have no idea how long they've been at this. Then again, I know first hand how tired they are. I hope Black hasn't done too much in my absence. Or that he follows me.'

Trunks gave the ponies a gratifying nod, showing his appreciation for what they're doing. Some of them even came to him, knowing of his battle against Starlight Glimmer and her army. The Saiyan waved off the praise, claiming that it was no problem.

Sweetie knocked on a door and faced Trunks, "This is the lab. The other fighters take refuge in here." she explained, seeing the door creaked open. On the other side were an orange pegasus mare with a red mane and a yellow earth pony with a red mane. The latter looked coldly out the window.

"Oh man. Are you the stranger that fought Starlight?" the pegasus asked in small excitement.

"Yeah... My name is Trunks. And you are..."

"Oh right. I'm Scootaloo and that's Applebloom. We're usually a four-pony team, but Spike's out on recon at the moment." Scootaloo explained, opening the door more to allow Trunks and Sweetie inside the lab.

The Saiyan raised a brow at the desk, "What's this supposed to be?" he carefully held up the device, prompting Scootaloo to flap her wings slightly to catch it out of his hands.

"Careful..." she warned, "This is a prototype. It's supposed to be a laser strong enough to blast through the magic of some of the tyrants. Sweetie and Applebloom have been helping with the study of how strong it should be."

Trunks nodded, "I see." he crossed his arms, "So this Spike person you mentioned. Why is he out on recon?"

"He's a dragon." Applebloom finally spoke, her cold stare never turning away from the window. "He's able to scout the area faster than any of us could for any potential hideouts the Dark Masters use to keep their slaves and minin' operations."

"It's about time you said something." Scootaloo groaned. Applebloom gritted her teeth at the comment.

Clearing his throat, Trunks spoke, "So all of you are the protectors of this land? Why did you find me?"

"Yes. We are the Equestrian Crusaders. Our goal is to save this world from the Dark Masters and preserve the future of this land from tyranny." Sweetie Belle said. "It's been more than then years." a sigh escaped her lips, "Anyway, the pony you rescued came to us and we acted as soon as possible. You actually stood on even ground with Starlight Glimmer."

"It's darn fluke." Applebloom snarled.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, "And why do you say that, AB?"

The earth pony slammed her hooves on the bed, "Ya think he's the first symbol of hope we had? It'll be like before with the Guardians of Harmony, with the Princesses, Shining Armor. They're gone. What'll make this any different?" she questioned coldly.

"You mustn't think like the Applebloom. We need something to look up to." Sweetie Belle lightly scolded her friend.

"Oh, really?"

The Saiyan closed his eyes as he thought, 'Hope? I couldn't even save my own world from Black. And I couldn't even make it back to the other timeline. But... Maybe I'm here for a reason. Maybe I can save this world from the same fate as mine.' his hands curled into fists, 'But am I really able to?'

"I'm only doing what's right." Trunks said, ending the bickering, "I'll do whatever it takes to save this world before I head back to mine." he declared.

Scootaloo smiled and observed Trunks' being, "Thanks, Trunks. You're welcome to stay in the base. We can find you a room to stay in. Heck, is that all you have? Nice sword."

"T-Thanks. And yes, this is everything I have. I should go rest soon. Let's just say... I was busy before I ended up here and need a few minutes if I'm going to be at full strength."

"Busy? Full strength? What happened?" Sweetie wondered.

The time-traveller gritted his teeth, his mind going back to Earth. Black's arrival, his fight... But he exhaled sharply, choosing not to say anything. "I-I think we should explain everything once we've rested and Spike comes back. It's a long explanation. Applebloom was right in that my fight with Starlight was a fluke. For the opposite reason she's thinking." he revealed, doing his best not to sound boastful under these circumstances.

"Wait, what?" Scootaloo blurted out.

Trunks turned away and crossed his arms, "I'll explain everything once we've rested. If Spike is going to be joining us, I wish for him to hear about this as well so he's not confused on what's happening. You can all trust me, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to help you. And I can trust you as well."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle grinned at the Saiyan while Applebloom rolled her eyes. "Thank you again, Trunks. I didn't think we'd see anyone like you. You can trust us to aid you in anyway we can and explain what's happening in detail to you. It's the least we can do." whispered the white unicorn.

"Alright. May I see where I'll be staying?"

"I'll do it." Scootaloo stood up, "C'mon, Trunks. Gotta be tired from fighting Starlight and her minions, huh?"

"Yeah." the Saiyan yawned, the weariness from his battles catching up to him, "I guess I am." he said, 'The Senzu bean did enough. Even though Korin's no longer there, Yajirobe managed to make a pretty effective version. Though, a nap should bring me back to full strength. I'll need every but of it if this as dangerous as this sounds,'