Kill The Memory

Chapter 1:

Kill the Pests

Winds howled out across the desert landscape, the strong breeze blowing up sand in clouds. Amongst the dust storms, a lone figure lay still as the sediments were blown onto his unconscious form. The sands began to build up over his body, hiding him from the burning rays of the sun. After what seemed like hours, the body shifted where he was, his arm coming towards him from his face down, splayed eagle position, the sands building up as his limb scraped along the ground. A long groan sounded out, the figure beginning to draw the rest of his limbs, bringing himself up to his hands and knees, the golden dust falling from his back.

“What… the fuck?” The young man groaned, bringing a hand up to his face as his eyes still burned slightly. He put his hand back to the ground and stared at the shifting sediment beneath him, trying to get his thoughts back together. Several long minutes passed and his memories started coming back. He remembered getting up in the morning… dressing in his cosplay… arguing with John about bringing actual weapons to the convention…that creepy merchant…. His eyes began to widen in realization. “THAT SON OF A BITCH!” He shouted, punching the gritty sediment below him. With his head throbbing with the burst of adrenaline, the man stood to his feet and took a look around.

The sun was beginning to set over the sandy waste, the light glinting off the mesas surrounding him. “Where did that bastard leave me?” He questioned out loud, turning to his right and putting the sun on his left shoulder and started walking North. A few things were certain, he needed a cooler climate or else he was likely to die of heat exhaustion, especially with the heavy long coat draped over him, and he needed to find his friends, wherever they were. “No telling what that creep did to’em….”

He left his footprints in the sand as he went, not turning back as his goal was set… missing a small boulder shift back down into the sand followed by the sound of skittering….

Deep within the ground of the wasteland, the sound of skittering was multiplied a thousand fold, a dull buzz soon joining the sounds as a changeling flew through the underground tunnels, a singular goal in its mind. The drone took sharp turn after sharp turn, navigating the maze with ease before it came to a stop in front of a pulsating green door… or at least what passed for a door for the bug-like race.

“Come in,” a sharp, buzzing voice demanded, the door sliding up and out of the way. The drone stepped through the entrance and toward the one it looked to for direction. The larger male changeling turned his head to look at the smaller drone in front of him. “What did you find?” He asked, his horn lighting up in a form of invitation

The changeling’s horn lit up as its head bowed, establishing a link with the soldier turned breeder. Within seconds, the armored changeling knew about the strange being that had entered their dessert… and the pale pink pony was still traveling their lands. “Interesting…,” he murmured, turning his head away and canceling the link between them. For several long minutes, the big male said nothing.

“Go to the Queen and tell her what you have told me,” he finally ordered in a low, even tone. “And do not let her know that I know. Now, go.”

The drone nodded once more before turning and leaving the private room, its sole inhabitant staying behind, waiting and laying the groundwork for his plans. He smirked as his Queen, Chrysalis, sent out the information throughout the hive. He waited for a moment or two, just as his strategy suggested before wiping the smile from his lips along with the rest of his emotions and igniting his horn to open a connection. He waited some more until the consciousness of his queen slammed into him, demanding his thoughts. He opened the gates to his mind freely, expertly hiding away that which he didn’t want her to find.

Several moments later, she uttered the words he wanted to hear most: Do it. The connection was severed and the smirk returned to his face. He quickly reopened his channel and located those loyal to him and gave them their orders.

Hours. That’s how long he had been walking. The sun had sunk below the horizon and had left the young man to struggle into the chilling night. At least I’m not cooking alive, he thought pointlessly to himself, picking up his odd habit of talking to himself when he was alone or bored.

You’ll probably start freezing soon.

I’ve got a coat, I’ll be fine.

What about your contacts?

I had two pairs seared into my eyeballs. I don’t think they’re coming out.

About that, shouldn’t you be writhing in pain and agony?

How should I kno-

“OOF!” The human fell back as his he ran into something, the air rushing out of his stomach as he hit the ground. “What the hell?” He questioned, rubbing his abdomen a bit.

“What kind of a numbskull walks around out here in the desert at night?” The young man looked up in surprise at the feminine voice. What he found was an utter surprise to him. On the ground sat a pastel colored pony… or, at least, something akin to a pony. She and the signs clearly pointed towards her being female, was a pale pink color, her mane purple mane having a baby blue stripe running through it as she rubbed her forehead with her hand. That’s when he noticed the horn on her head and the pin resembling a shooting star in her hair. A loose, tan cloak was thrown open around her, revealing a long sleeved, white shirt and khaki cargo pants, rolled up a little to reveal her hooves.

The young man blinked as he processed everything he was seeing in front of him… then gave an exasperated sigh and leaned back so that his head hit the sand. “Are you FUCKING kidding me!?!” He shouted into his hands as they rubbed his face.

The mare finally opened her eyes and looked up at him, her eyes blinking a few times as she spotted the boots, army green cargo pants, black sleeveless muscle shirt, and long hunter’s coat. Slowly, her hand fell down to her the sand beside her. “What in Tartarus are you?” She asked, her hand reaching for a staff in the sand that she had dropped, the two prongs facing away from the two of them.

Memories rushed through the young man’s head as he heard the sound of sand on wood, sending off alarm bells in his head. “Don’t,” he said sharply, lifting his hand away and pointing at the unicorn, causing her to freeze where she was, her hand halfway between herself and the staff. The man sat up where he was, giving a loud sigh as he did so. “We can have a friendly discussion without getting violent.” He lifted his head and began to support himself by putting his hands behind him. “To answer your question, I’m a human. What are you?”

The purple maned unicorn slowly brought her hand back to her side and placed it on the sand, her eyes wide. “I’m a unicorn,” she answered flatly, her eyes still a bit spooked.

The young man chuckled a bit darkly. “Okay, unicorn,” he said before bringing his legs into a crossed position and folded his arms over his chest. “You got a name?”

The unicorn was taken somewhat aback by the sudden question, stumbling with her response. “I-I, uh, what?”

“What’s your name, miss unicorn?” The man questioned again, his tone impatient.

The mare was quiet where she was, giving her speaking partner a suspicious look. “Only if you share yours first,” she answered.

The brown headed man looked to the side and gave out a huff of laughter. “You really are going to play hardball, aren’t you?” He questioned, looking back at her as his answer formed itself in his mind; My name is Jeremy Ward. “Hikan Kanshi.” The man blinked his dark green eyes in confusion as the words left his mouth.

The mare looked Hikan over slowly, from his messy mop of brown hair, the bit over his left brow and temple spiked up and colored a honey blonde, down his finely tuned physique, eyes going over his belt where two large knives were visible. The unicorn gulped at this, realizing for the first time just what kind of disadvantage she was actually at. Nervously, her eyes darted to her staff as it still lay in the sand behind her. A sigh wrenched her attention back to the young man before her.

“If it’s really that big of a deal,” he said, gesturing with his hand to the staff. “Go ahead and pick it up. I won’t stop you.”

The pony started a bit at that before she looked behind her at her catalyst, the twisted wood so close she could feel the roughness in her hands. With slow, methodic movements, she reached out and grabbed the staff, drawing it back to her. With the scepter back in her grasp, she let out a little sigh. “Thank you,” she said, looking up at the man before her.

Hikan gave another breath of laughter. “No problem,” he answered, waving a hand in the air dismissively. “I mean, I’m armed, so it’s only fair… but you still haven’t told me your name.”

“Oh,” the unicorn said in surprise, a small blush at her forgetfulness reddening her cheeks. “I’m Starlight Glimmer.”

“And what are you doing out here, miss Glimmer?” The young man questioned, keeping the conversation going after the hours of silence he’d endured.

However, this only drew another suspicious look from Starlight, her grip tightening on her staff. “Why do you want to know?” She asked, her tone low.

Hikan watched her for a moment, his eyes searching before he sighed. “Because I’ve been alone in the desert for hours with only my very confused thoughts for company,” he explained. “I figured making conversation would be less maddening than just sitting here with another warm body nearby. Besides, I don’t have any clue as to where the hell I am.”

The pink unicorn blinked at him as all of this new information was thrown at her. “Are you seriously telling me that you don’t know where you are?” She asked, receiving only a nod in return. She looked at the young man for several minutes before she gave him her answer. “I came out here to burn this,” she said, holding up the staff of sameness. “And to find a rare crystal that only grows in this desert.”

Hikan nodded as he went over what he was hearing. “So, you’re going to burn the staff to try and let go of your past while getting something to get adapted to your new life…,” he said absentmindedly, not realizing he had spoken out loud as Starlight’s eyes widened.

“How did you know that?” She asked, gripping her staff tightly and shifting so she could stand up quickly if she needed to.

The human noticed this as his eyes focused back on her, his hand meeting his face with more than a little force. “Oh, goddamnit,” he muttered before he looked at her with a calm expression. “Look, this is going to be hard to swallow but-” Something buzzed in the back of his mind and he leaped forward, scooping Starlight Glimmer up in his arms and curling over her, tearing her away from the spot she’d been sitting as columns of sand were launched in the air where they had been sitting.

Hikan twisted his body until he was facing the coming threat, depositing the mare below him as he stood slightly crouched over her, his eyes narrowed and searching as a scowl formed on his face. He spotted black arms jerk back into the ground from their previous positions and watched as the sand rose and fell in an obvious path. The trails split around and made to flank them, several others joining them, two of which were much bigger. The hunter stood his ground, taking out the bigger of his two knives, light glinting off the blade with the serrated back as he reached with his other hand for his tristaff.

“Starlight,” he muttered quietly as he watched the trails circle them. “What am I looking at?”

The mare had frozen a bit in place, her eyes wide as everything happened so quickly, her body shivering a bit.

“Star!”

The shout shook her out of her shock as the trails rushed at the pair, closing in fast. “Changelings!” She shouted in response.

Hikan ‘tsk’d’ and wrapped his knife arm around Starlight, his legs drawing in and tensing. The trails reached them and Hikan unleashed his pent up energy, launching into the air with Starlight in tow as sand burst up around them like a geyser. Black figures left the ground, following the human and pony, the sound of buzzing filling the air… but it didn’t last long.

One of the figures dashed forward, aiming for Hikan’s back, only to have a section of wood smashed into its head as the man twisted and brought the links of his weapon down. The other figures followed suit, receiving the same treatment as the hunter spun his body expertly through the air, his staff like a fluid whip with a mind of its own.

The bodies in the air met the ground, Hikan on his feet and the changelings in heaps. The young man put Starlight’s hooves back on the ground so that she could stand on her own, though she still had her arms around his neck in a death grip. “Star, I’mma need you to let go if you want us to live,” he said tapping her on the arm as the drones got back up.

Starlight Glimmer looked up at him with wide eyes, the focus slowly coming back to them before she blinked. “Oh, right,” she muttered getting off of him and stepping back… just in time to not get steamrolled as Hikan was kicked in the back and sent flying.

The human met the sand with his face, sliding a little ways before coming to a stop. He picked himself up and looked behind him to find a soldier class changeling towering over Starlight, his armored carapace shining dully in the moonlight.The soldier hefted a claw as the unicorn stood frozen in place, her staff locked in her hands. The changeling swung down only to stumble back with a skittering cry of pain as its limb was severed from its body, green blood spewing forward and making a mess.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hikan sneered, bringing his knife topped staff back up, the blade gleaming in blood. “Did I interrupt something?”

The changeling turned and raised its remaining claw only to have its head removed from its body as Hikan spun his body and connected weapon, cutting through the exoskeleton with ease. “I suppose that’s a no,” he said as his eyes fell on the drones that were beginning to surround him once more. His eyes shifted from one to the other, spotting the other soldier easily among the drones. He swung his spear, the blood leaving the knife edge and splattering onto the ground as he reset his position, the staff of his weapon resting diagonally across his back, his right arm coming up and wrapping around the shaft at the elbow, blade pointed down to his left. The stance looked so nonchalant it was terrifying, especially when matched with the scowling smile on his face.

“Who’s next?”

The simple question rocketed the bug-like creatures into action, each of them hissing as they bared claws. Hikan just smirked with a ‘hmph’. The assassin rushed forward, slashing the knife blade up and through the first with practiced ease, putting it between the armored plates where it got stuck. Hikan’s smirk widened as he used the force of his halting momentum to swing himself up and over, using the dead changeling as an axis. His boots hit the sand and he grabbed the shaft of his weapon in both hands, swinging it around and smacking the other changelings away as their comrade was used as a hammer against them. Hikan swung the body until he brought it to a stop in front of him, putting his foot on its chest as he yanked the blade free.

The soldier, who had only been staggered by the body of its comrade, let out a roar and charged, bringing Hikan’s eyes up to it. The man spun his spear behind his body and slashing it down… only for the bug to grab the weapon by the shaft, stopping it dead.

Hikan’s eyes widened in surprise as the soldier brought its arm back to crush the pest before it. Hikan watched this… until a smirk lit up on his face. “Fisticuffs it is then,” he muttered, drawing back his own fist, the cuff of his sleeve coming up a bit as the amber accents on his black bracer began to glow. The two swung forward, Hikan taking a step forward as the creature’s punch blew past his shoulder. An audible crunch was heard as Hikan was hidden from sight, a black claw exploding from its back as it lurched.

“Uh-oh, was that your spine?” Hikan’s voice questioned mockingly before the soldier was suddenly split in half, green blood shooting forth as the body fell to the side, the sound of the hard carapace tearing echoing as Hikan’s arm came loose.

The young man relaxed, turning a wicked smile at the remaining changelings as the iridescent blood dripped down the black and amber armor on his arm. The armor looked extremely high tech while also resembling the arm of a wyvern, complete with razor sharp claws and wing, the sails between the wings glowing in amber hexagons.

The changelings stared wide-eyed at the monster standing before them. Hikan let his grin fall away and his features returned to his hard scowl. He turned and started towards them, spear in one hand and claws clenching and unclenching. The changelings decided it would be best to survive the night and return to the hive with their information despite the punishment, turning tail and flying away, some diving into the sand to escape.

Hikan stopped in his tracks as the changelings tried to escape. “Now this,” he stated, lifting the wrist of his armored arm as it began to fold and change, a cannon barrel forming over his forearm as an eyepiece formed over his ear and eye, the orange lens glinting as a targeting system locked onto each of the fleeing insectoids. “Is just disgraceful.” With his words uttered, orange lances of energy rocketed forth from the barrel, separating out and arcing toward their targets, a few burning through the sand. Some of the changelings let out screams of pain as the burning beams seared through the middle of all their chests, each of them falling to the ground with smoking holes, blood pooling around them.

The assassin dropped his smoking arm, his expression blank. “Targets eliminated,” he stated robotically as the black armor retracted back to his bracers, which then retracted even further into the basic carry mode, looking like little more than high-tech cuff watches. Suddenly, Hikan’s eyes widened as his scowl fell away, everything that he had just done crashing down around him. His expression became that of fear and he stepped back, stopping when he heard a squelch under his boot. He slowly looked down with shaky movements, letting out a gasp as he saw the pool of green blood he had stepped into.

He quickly turned and stumbled back, his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at his now green footprint. He started to breathe quickly and heavily before a crunch in the sand called for his attention. He lifted his wide gaze to see Starlight staring at the body of the changeling soldier, her arms wrapped around her as she looked she was fighting against herself to run away. Hikan’s breathing slowly returned to normal, his expression turning relatively downcast. He stepped around the body, avoiding the pool of blood as he made his way over to her.

Starlight simply stared at the violence before her, eyes wide and scared until a shadow cast itself over her and a body blocked her view. The mare blinked and looked up to see the saddened expression on Hikan’s face. “C’mon,” he said softly, the voice surprisingly tender for someone who had just slaughtered over half a dozen changelings. “We need to find some shelter…”

The mare stared up at him for a long moment before tears came to her eyes and she nodded, not knowing what else to do. Hikan’s downcast face nodded in response and he turned her around, putting his arm around her shoulders as they walked. As they walked away from the gruesome scene, he couldn’t tell if it was Starlight shuddering or himself….

Author's Note

Hey, guys, welcome to the new fic! This is a project between me and three other authors who go by Naturefang, RedRandom, and Maziodyne. For now though, here's the link to the Prologue if you want to know how our guy got caught up in this mess. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as we do!