It was a normal run of the mill day in Appleloosa, as gloomy as it has been for the past 1000 years. What was once a quaint, cozy and lively town in the southern equestrian area was now a dreary shell of its former self. When one walks down the road, they would expect to see a crowd of cheerful ponies having a good time or getting to where they need to be. Now, all would they see are ponies with their heads hanging as they walk by, lethargy and depression rules them. Most of the ponies that inhabit the area would often drink themselves into a stupor to forget the bad memories over the long, long years and places like Honey Barrel's saloon is booming in this regard.

It was business as usual in Honey's little corner of Appleloosa, ponies in an apathetic mood flocked into his saloon, looking for a glass of hard apple cider to wash away the pain they felt from the bad times. Though Honey Barrel was making a substantial sum of bits, he never felt a sense of pride out of it. He wanted to make a living, but not like this... profiting off of a pony's misery.

*Sigh* "Not like this." Honey somberly thought to himself as he was cleaning a few used glasses that were left by some patrons that came by hours ago. He would oft times thought of what a place like this would become if Tirek hadn't taken over. It would've been a place of merrymaking, joy, and friends gathering to have a good time. Instead, Honey couldn't do anything but watch the soul crushing sight as ponies drowned out their woes in liquor. It was his only way of making ends meet in this world.

Just then, the saloon doors swing open wide and through them came a cloaked figure. Nothing else could be ascertained about the stranger's identity apart from a light-cerulean coat of fur and a grass-green and red stripped mane and tail. The stranger's cloak looks tattered and moderately worn, indicative of the mysterious pony being an experienced fighter and wanting to retain anonymity. Barely anyone paid the stranger any attention, apart from Honey Barrel as he sees the stranger approaching the hightop and taking a seat.

"What would you like?" Honey says as he cleans up another glass. The mysterious pony then pulls off its hood revealing him as a unicorn stallion with eyes as orange as the eponymous fruit.

"One hard apple cider, please." The stranger says as looks at the table, drumming his fingers on the wooden bar counter.

"One cider, coming right up." Honey replies as he reaches for the tap and dispenses the delicious beverage into an shiny glass mug.

"Here ya go." Honey says as he hands the drink over to the mysterious stallion. "It'll be 4 bits please." The stallion grabbed 4 bits out of his pouch and hands them off to the barkeep. The stallion takes a big swig of the tangy and tart nectar with much gusto, making Honey raise an eyebrow.

"You're not from here, are ya?" Honey says as he props his arms on the counter in curiosity.

"No." The stallion replies in a neutral tone, taking another swig of his cider. "Just making a quick stop."

"Where to?"

"The mountains, due west of Ponyville."

"Why there?" Honey asks with curiosity. The Undiscovered West has not been explored yet and ponies fear what may tread in the area. It's the general fear of the unknown that would drive any novice explorers from exploring what lies in that land.

"A quiet place to settle down." The stallion replies as he finishes off the rest of his cider. As Honey observed the stallion closely, he took note of his eyes, brighter than what most pony eyes are. For a second, he notices that his eyes had flickered brightly like a broken street light. He was shocked that his new patron was not what he seemed. He looked like a pony, but wasn't a real pony.

"Y-You're, You're a robot, aren't ya?" Honey says with a sense of surprise. He never seen a robot quite like the stallion before. Whenever he say a robot like that, it was usually one of the War Bots from Tirek's many legions of enforcers. Whenever one saw a group of them in the area, it's never good news. They are deployed to quell any sign of dissent whenever it's found. They may be simple minded, but their relentlessness is truly to be feared. Honey wondered what type of robot was he: a special model or a prototype on a testing run. He never before saw one that had a coat of fur.

"What gave that away?" The stallion asks back with a slight smirk, pandering to his bewilderment.

"Your eyes." Honey says as he looks upon the stallion's face.

"What about them?"

"They say that eyes are an identifier for a pony, a portal that lets you peer into one's soul, so to say. As I observed your eyes, they flickered like a light. Even though you're not flesh and blood, I can see it in your eyes that you're not a malevolent pony or whatever kind of robot you are." Honey observes. He's seen a lot of the typical WarBot that Tirek sends throughout Equestria to enforce his will, cold and emotionless. The robot he sees before him looks more than what he usually sees in an automaton.

"Heh, I guess that much is true." The stallion chuckles as he makes a noticeable smirk. His semi-smile was interrupted by a disturbance. The crows that had been squawking outside for hours suddenly stopped, the air polluted with a cacophony of wings flapping away. This was usually a sign that a large group is on approach, never a good sign. The silence caused the stallion's ear to twitch, knowing of a possible danger to him. They have found him. Not wanting to put the other patrons at risk, he decides to leave, placing a pouch of bits on the counter.

"A round of drinks I take it?" Honey asks as the stranger walks towards the entrance.

"No, it's for the damages." The stallion says as he approaches the doors. Honey was confused by what he meant by 'damages'. As he saw a glimpse of what looks to be a gun attached to his belt, he began to put two and two together.

"Oh, and you might want to tell the patrons to duck." The stallion says as he puts his hands on the double doors. Without hesitation, Honey alerts the patrons to the imminent danger to their lives and orders them to "Duck!!!".

As The stallion walks out of the saloon, the brightness of the sun momentarily blinds him, a side effect of being in the building for a time. As his vision comes to, his eyes beheld a group of of heavily armed soldiers, a mix of unicorn and earth ponies, and warbots, their weapons trained on him. The way these soldiers were outfitted were familiar to him: It was a detachment of Tirek's Blackguard, his elite group of warriors.

"Attention fugitive!" one of the blackguard soldiers shouted. "By the supreme authority of Lord Tirek, you are to surrender immediately and come with us at once! Resist... and you will die!"

For the last two weeks, the stallion was pursued by Tirek's minions. For what reason, he knew all to well. Over the course of those days, He went from town to town, seeing the atrocities committed by Tirek's minions. The previous town he visited, he prevented a mass execution of innocent ponyfolk by dispatching enforcers that were sent to commit the vile act. Ever since that day, he's been on the run, only able to catch brief reprieves from the chase. At this point, he was through with running. He was going to make his stand.

"Obey the command! Stand down, now!"

The stallion's horn starts to flicker and spark, bolts of energy dance around. An orb of swirling blue energy builds up above his horn. In a moments notice he unleashes the energy at the aggressors, knocking them down and enveloping them in a dust cloud. The shockwave of the blast traveled in all directions, even reaching the saloon, shattering anything made of glass. Honey now knew what the stranger meant by damages.

*coughing and hacking noises* "Where in tartarus is he?!" one soldier says

"SCANNING... DUST CLOUD OBSCURING VISUAL SENSORS. RESULTS INCONCLUSIVE." one warbot informs the group as they desperately try to find their target.

"Where did he go?!!" one soldier panics. "I'm outta here!" As he attempts to flee, he met his demise from a glowing blade of energy, impaling his dark heart. It only took a bit for the dust cloud to clear up for the rest of the blackguard soldiers to be alerted to the threat. The veil was lifted and the game was on.

"There he is! Take him down!" one soldier barked as 4 of them move to melee range while the rest fired upon him with their energy rifles.

*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*

As the bladed soldiers came his way, the stranger soundly dispatched them with several mere slashes from his glowing blade, they never stood a chance. The 2 warbots charged him in a stampede-like rush, throwing punches that hit nothing but air. As one began to throw a forceful right hook, the stranger sliced off the arm before bringing his sword through the robot's neck, decapitating it. Almost immediately, he turned his pistol at the other warbot and took it down with a few shots to its central core.

*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*
*Ratatatatatatata*

The rifleponies resumed their vollies of energy bolts as the stranger charged them, blocking their shots. As the stranger drew near, he sent out a big slash, dropping them like flies. He looks on at the carnage, pony and machine all lie in ruin amidst the sand, blood and oil soak the ground. His observation was interrupted by a faint sound coming from behind one of the transports.

"...lease, send help! He's killing us, We're dropping like flies! Backu-" *Blang* before the blackguard soldier could complete his plea, the radio was disabled by the stranger's pistol. He then hovers over the surviving soldier, observing him.

"Hmph, did you really think it would end well?" The stranger says, before out of the corner of his eye, seeing a dust trail out in the distance and it was approaching fast. He knew that was additional forces coming to take him down. In that moment, the stranger decided to spare the wounded minion and hijack one of the bikes he saw. His only route of escape is the railway leading out of the region.

"All units, target is heading towards the bridge crossing Ghastly Gorge. Do we have anyone in the area?" One pegasus trooper says, flying to intercept the stranger.

"We do. We have a blockade set up on the other side of the bridge. He won't get away." Another voice radios in. "Unit-047, I need you to fly to a hill near the bridge and wait for the word!"

"You got it!" Unit-047 agrees as she flies to a hill overlooking the bridge, taking position and waiting for her prey. The chase was an intense game of catch the mouse. The stranger was keeping up his speed as he rode to the bridge, shooting down anyone that got in his path or caught up to him. As he neared the bridge, a warbot suddenly appeared and fired a rocket. Not being able to save his stolen ride in time, The stallion jumped from his bike just as it was hit by the rocket and slashed the robot across its visor, disabling it.

"I.. really don't have time for this!" The stranger says as he makes a run towards the bridge. Only when he got half way across did he realize it was a trap. Another group was waiting across the bridge for him, having anticipated his escape route. With the other force moving in from behind him, he was surrounded with his back against the bridge railing, no way of escape.

"Don't even try!" One of the blackguard enforcers said. "Pull a weapon on us and we will end you right here!" The stranger looked on at the crowd of soldiers and warbots surrounding him. He could take on a fairly big group of them by himself, but not one this big before he falls.

As the commander observed the fugitive robot, he got new orders... from Tirek himself. Knowing what to do, he decided to relay the orders to Unit-047.

"Unit-047, do you read? Mission parameters have changed. You know what to do."

"Roger." she replies as she gets her sights on The stranger, putting her finger on the trigger. "Nighty night, sweet prince."

*Bang*

"URRGh!!"

Before he could react, the stranger was hit by a energy bolt to the chest, causing him to stagger back and bleed an oil-like substance. His visual field was ridden with messages of damage reports from the injury. This was the opportunity the blackguard needed to finish him off.

"Okay ponies, finish him off!" the commander says as they pepper him with energy blasts, damaging him all over his metal frame, further staggering him back and eventually sending him over the edge of the railing and down to the river below. The soldiers were pleased with their results as the fugitive they've been trailing for weeks has now been dealt with.

"Fugitive is down. I repeat, fugitive is down." the commander says over the radio.

"We read you. Good job, Zeal." another voice radios in. "What about Captain Branch?"

"He's here with us. Why?" Commander Zeal asks the radio operator.

"Lord Tirek requests him to be brought before him... and he isn't happy with him."

"Okay. Zeal out." Zeal knew that whenever somepony is brought to see Tirek, it never is a good thing. Usually, when somepony in the ranks of his army has failed so many times, he has that pony brought to him to be made an example of and how he does it, ponies would shudder to imagine how he deals with these kind of problems.

As the stranger got dragged through the river current, his visual field starts to flicker sporadically, showing a flurry of lines of code. A video then starts to play. It was a recording from two weeks ago:

==============Flashback:==============

The stranger was in a capsule in a room, his view was foggy from the glass of his metallic tomb. Then, the capsule opens up, clarifying his view of the room. It was a mess to say the least. Papers, tools, and blood litter the floor. Electrical wires dangle from the ceiling and pieces of it also hang and dangle. The door to the room was also a mess due to it looking like it had been blown open from the outside. Bodies of ponies litter the ground outside which indicated a battle took place here. To his left, the stranger notices a unicorn stallion in a lab coat slouched over a desk, blood was dripping from him. The stranger got up from his capsule and set the stallion against the wall. He notices that the computer monitor is asking to play some sort of 'message'. Was it intended for him? What was the purpose of it? Being curious, he plays the message which causes a hologram of the dead stallion next to him to appear.

X-0451, If you are reading this, the worst has come to pass. Tirek has sent his armies after us and we didn't survive. I wish your activation were under better circumstances, but the situation calls for you to be hibernating for a set amount of time. I wish that we all could see and marvel at you, our greatest creation: an android that can evolve and think like any other pony in equestria. We built you to be our last hope in these dark days. We built you so that you can inspire others to stand up and set things right. Our hopes and dreams now lie with you.

======================================

With that, X-0451's vision starts to fade to black. This was the end of him. The cold grip of death comes, even for an android.

"Found something!"

"Let me see... Yes, this is him!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure of it! Help me get him out of the water.

"Damn, this thing is heavy."

"Just drag him to the vehicle and let's go. I don't want to chance it out here for much longer."

==============Meanwhile at Tirek's Palace:==============

Tirek sat in his throne room. It was a place of gloom and despair made manifest. The walls adorned the pictures of his greatest triumph, his slaying of the 9 ponies that would've caused him trouble in his rise to power. The only sources of light in his throne room is a chandelier and some torches that flanked the pathway to the throne and the only living ponies in the room besides Tirek himself are his 4 personal guards and the disgraced Captain Branch in chains before him.

"So, You've failed me over the last two weeks," Tirek's voice booms from his throne. "taking that long to fine one pony, only to later lose all of troops under your command." His voice was intimidating to say the least. A mere whisper from him can petrify any mortal being with fear, such is the case with Captain Branch and his failure.

"Bbb-b-but sire," Captain branch stutters in fear of Tirek's rage. "we were completely unprepared for how stro-"

"SILENCE WHELP!!!" Tirek interrupts Branch with a yell that shook him and the flames from the candles. The personal guards however, were not shaken at all. When they were selected to be his guards, Tirek himself used some form magical incantation to wipe any semblance of empathy and emotion from them with the purpose of instilling unquestionable obedience.

"You have failed me too many times." Tirek says as he gets up from his throne and walks towards Captain Branch who is shaking in fear. "You are unworthy of holding the title of Captain in the Blackguard."

"Please, My lord! Grant me mercy, I beg you!" Branch begs with tears flowing down his face fur. He knew that he was going to be punished for his error and what would happen to him puts a great depth of fear in his soul.

"There is one way for redemption." Tirek says as he circles the fearful pony. His remark was unusual of him to say. He ruled through fear and now he offers a chance for the disgraced captain to atone for his error.

"What?!" Branch says, shocked as a terrifying being like Tirek was showing a willingness to show mercy when he would just execute somepony at the drop of a hat if crossed.

"Fret not, There is still a way to serve me,..." Tirek says as he walks away from Captain branch with a faint glow being visible from his hand. Within seconds, Branch starts to convulse wildly.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHRRRRRGHHH!!! AHHHH AHHHHHGHHH!!!" Branch screams out in unimaginable pain as his very soul is ripped from his body, moving to and being absorbed by Lord Tirek. Within seconds, Captain Branch of the Blackguard is no more, all that remains of him is the lifeless husk that is his body.

"...even in death." Tirek finishes as the glow fades away. "Take the body down to the lab and have him prepped for surgery."

Without so much as a sound, the two guards that were flanking Branch took his body to the Cyber Lab, where those who suffered similar fates like Branch get converted into 'Gestalts', soulless bodies bound forever to serve under mechanical influence. Cyber augmentations are grafted onto a subject with motor functions being directed by a chip implant. Their bodies never perishing or wasting away, a fate worse than death. Tirek walks back to his throne to ponder what the significance of the android that had been killed in applelossa. What was its purpose? What threat did it pose to his rule? Is it still alive?

"My rule will not be challenged... even by a mechanical golem."

Author's Note

Well, here is another story from me. I really wanted to make a dark tale of an alternate future equestria and I came up with this after binging on Wolfenstein: TNO. I hope you like it and this will be the start of a long series. Stay tuned for more.