Chapter 1: It came from the sky.
Chapter one.
It came from the sky.
It was the middle of the afternoon on the first day of summer in Ponyville, and thanks to the efforts of the weather team there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A nice cool breeze blew over the countryside, and bird song filled the air. All across town there was the usual hustle and bustle of ponies going about their business. Most of the activity took place around the town square, where all the local farmers had set up their stalls to sell their wares. This happened three times a week, on mondays, wednesdays and fridays. And because of the nice summer weather, everypony seemed to be in an extra chipper mood.
Down in the Ponyville schoolhouse the fillies and colts could barely contain their excitement.
“Alright everypony, settle down. I know you are all eager to go out and enjoy the sunshine, but we still have one hour of biology class to get through. But maybe if you all focus extra hard on today’s lesson, I might just end class early so you can all enjoy the afternoon a little longer.” Said Miss Cheerilee, the local school teacher as she gave her students a wink.
“Yes miss Cheerilee.” they chorused with various degrees of excitement.
As Cheerilee started her lecture about the various bones that made up the pony skeleton, an orange pegasus filly turned to the pony sitting at the desk next to her.
“Pssst, Apple Bloom. Are we still on for tonights sleepover at the clubhouse?” she whispered.
“Of course, Scootaloo.” The earth pony filly answered in a low tone, “Ah got the sleepin’ bags already set up. And Sweetie Belle said she had some kinda surprise for....”
“Now girls, what did I just say about paying attention?” Cheerilee interrupted.
“Sorry miss Cheerilee.” both fillies said, embarrassment written all over their faces.
“Just don’t let it happen again. Now where was I, oh yes. Now the femur connects to the tibia, which in turn..”
Fortunately for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, miss Cheerilee was true to her word and ended class twenty minutes early. The entire classroom exited the school in a wild stampede of cheer and excitement.
“Awright, time to do some crusadin’.” Apple Bloom exclaimed, rearing up and kicking her front legs.
“What should we try first?” asked Scootaloo.
“We have a whole list of activities we can try before the sleepover tonight.” Sweetie Belle replied, holding the aforementioned list between her teeth. “But let’s try and pick some of the less strenuous ones. We don’t wanna be all tuckered out before nightfall.”
“Oh please, I don’t know why you three bother. Everything you do ends up in disaster. Face it, you are going to be a bunch of useless blank flanks forever.” sneered Diamond Tiara as she passed them by.
“Yeah, like… like totally useless.” Added Silver Spoon.
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo regarded the pink and grey fillies with contempt.
“Would y’all just leave us alone Diamond Tiara. Its way too nice of a day to be dealin’ with your horse apples.”
Diamond Tiara stuck her nose in the air. “I have better things to do today anyway. Just remember, when you three fail miserably, like always, and end up covered in tree sap again, I told you so. Come along Silver Spoon.”
If looks could kill, Diamond Tiara would have combusted there and then. Luckily for her that wasn’t the case. But that didn’t stop the CMC from glaring daggers at her as she left.
“Ohhhh, she makes me so, so, mad!” Scootaloo growled once the pair was out of sight.
“That filly is one rotten apple.”
“Let’s not let them spoil the mood. C’mon, I got something to show you guys at home, It will be perfect for our sleepover tonight.” said Sweetie Belle.
There were boxes and boxes full of knick knacks. Several sturdy trunks, filled to bursting with old clothes. Cupboards and shelves, filled top to bottom with all sorts of souvenirs and doohickeys. There were paintings of various sizes and sports equipment strewn about the place, ranging from golf clubs to tennis rackets. A canoe stood upright in one corner, the paddle nowhere to be found. In another stood an old ponnequin, wearing a dusty tuxedo jacket There was fishing equipment and piles of books on various subjects. And dozens of different hats scattered everywhere. It was a virtual hoarders paradise.
“Wauw, your parents sure have a lot of stuff, Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo said as she looked around the crowded attic.
“Where’d your folks get all this stuff anyway?” Apple Bloom asked as she rummaged through a box full of snow-globes.
“Well, you know how my mom and dad like to travel a lot. These are mostly souvenirs from their trips all over Equestria and beyond. But theres also a couple family heirlooms in here, as well as some other random stuff they’ve collected over the years.” Sweetie answered.
“So what did ya wanna show us?” asked Apple Bloom.
“This.” Sweetie said with cheer as she pulled a small tarp off of an old brass telescope, mounted on a wooden tripod.
Apple Bloom let out a low whistle. “That’s one fancy looking piece of equipment.”
“Isn’t it perfect.” Sweetie squeaked. “I figured we could do some stargazing tonight. The skies haven’t been this clear in moons so we should have a perfect view. Maybe we’ll even earn our cutie marks.”
“Where’d ya get that fancy thing anyway?” Scootaloo asked.
“It belonged to my grandfather, Stellar Cloud. He was an astronomer. It’s been sitting in our attic for years. I’m sure he would appreciate it being put to good use again.” Sweetie replied.
“Cutie mark crusaders junior astronomers, yay!” All three shouted while they smacked their hooves together in a high five motion.
Far away from Equis, deep inside the vastness of space, a far less peaceful scene was taking place as a trio of a very different sort was locked in a desperate conflict for survival. Their small spacecraft was flying in an irregular pattern, desperately trying to shake their far larger assailant. A monstrously sized craft made of an unsettling fusion of both organic and inorganic matter. The monstrous behemoth spat blasts of energy that streaked passed the little vessel, close enough for the paint on their hull to warp and bubble with the heat of their passing, even in the cold vacuum of space.
“Asare! Asare I need you at the controls!”
“But, Valdez, Rajek is bleeding out! If I don’t get the auto-surgeon back online he’s going to die.” She yelled back from the tiny room that served as the ship’s medical bay.
“And if you don’t get on those controls we’ll all be dead!”
She stood by the surgical pod, frozen with indecision, until Rajek’s scaly hand grabbed her wrist.
“Go…. I’ll be.. okay.”
Tears formed in her eyes. “Liar.” she accused.
Rajek gave her a bloody grin. “Just... make it quick. This machine has a.. aagh… terrible bedside manner. I need my… sexy nurse.”
Normally she would have slugged him in the shoulder for that remark. But all she could do was swallow hard and nod. ”Stay alive.” she said before dashing from the room.
“No.. promises… sweetheart.” He whispered. He felt so tired.
Up on the bridge, Asare practically threw herself into the only vacant seat. The chair creaked in protest but she paid it no mind.
“What do you need?” she said in a clipped tone.
“I need you to calculate a jump. Get the fold system up and running.”
“To where?”
“Anywhere that’s not here!” Valdez shouted as a beam struck their aft. The armor plates ran molten and something on the inside exploded.
“We should have turned and fought when we had the chance. We should have used it.” Valdez grunted.
“Not with Rajek in that condition. It would have killed us all for sure.”
“At least we could have gone out in a blaze of glory, not get shot to bits out here.”
“That’s the soldier in you talking. What good would it have done?”
“I don’t know.” he said quietly.
Another impact rocked their ship. A console in the back of the bridge exploded into sparks as the electric feedback overloaded it. The stench of melting circuit boards filled the air.
“Are those calculations ready yet?!”
“The system’s fried. We’re flying blind.”
The ship lurched as another impact threw them off course.
“They’re closing in for the kill.”
Valdez snarled something incomprehensible and reached for the controls.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re jumping!”
“Are you insane!? Without calculations we could end up in the heart of a star. Or in dark space beyond the edge of the galaxy!”
“I refuse to die here! Not like this.”
“Valdez don’t!” she shouted, but it was too late.
In one swift motion, Valdez initiated the jump. For a brief moment, time itself stood still as an ultra dense gravity bubble formed around the small ship. To an outside observer it appeared as if the ship was swallowed up by a tiny black hole. From the bridge, the stars outside the window seemed to turn into streaks, which then began to spin round like a whirlpool as the laws of physics were violently bent out of shape. And then, in the blink of an eye, everything snapped back into place, and the small vessel simply winked out of existence in one location, only to appear in another.
Alarms wailed as the laws of physics reasserted themselves. The ship shook and spun as if someone had thrown them into a giant tumble dryer.
“What’s happening?” Asare shouted.
“We’re caught inside a gravity well. Trying to compensate. Where are we?”
“I haven’t got a clue. We’re flying blind. Engines are out! The fold jump overloaded them.”
“Oh maker’s mercy.” Valdez said, turning pale as a sheet.
Asare looked up from her instruments and her eyes went wide. Before them loomed the unmistakeable blue and green curve of a planet, and it was rapidly getting closer.
“Turn! Turn for Sarek’s sake!”
“It’s too late! Brace yourself. This is going to get very rough, and ten times as hot.”
“Are you sure you got that thing set up right?” Asked Scootaloo, while she watched her two best friends messing about with the device.
“I got this covered.” Sweetie Belle replied “Dad showed me how to use it once. I just gotta remember.”
“Maybe we shoulda asked Twilight fer help.” Apple Bloom drawled.
“No way. Then we’d have to listen to her giving a lecture on proper telescope maintenance or something for half the night.” Scootaloo protested.
“Yeah, I love Twilight and all, but that mare gives out way too much information sometimes. It’s like she’s a walking encyclopedia.” Sweetie said.
“Says the walking dictionary.” Scootaloo mumbled under her breath.
“C’mon Scoot, Y’all been grumpy all evening. What’s wrong?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Eh, I dunno. Guess my heart’s not really into this one.”
“Why not? We’re crusading for our cutie marks.”
“Well yeah, don’t get me wrong, I want to get mine too. But a stargazing cutie mark. I dunno if that’s right for me.“
“Hey you never know. We gotta be willing to try everything if we want to get our marks.“
Eventually the girls managed to get the telescope set up properly. They each took turns peering through the device. First they looked at the moon, but there was nothing really interesting happening there. Then they turned to the stars. Looking in various directions at the sky. But while there were many interesting stellar formations up there, they weren’t enough to hold the girls attention for long.
“Ugh, I’m so bored. I really don’t understand how ponies can enjoy this.” Scootaloo groaned.
“Ah hate to agree with her, but she’s right. This really is rather dull.” Apple Bloom sighed.
“Guess we won’t be getting our cutie marks for this either.” Sweetie said with disappointment, but then something caught her eye.
“Look look! A falling star!”
High in the sky a slow moving streak of flame became visible.
“Are ya sure that’s a falling star? Its moving awfully slow like ta be one.” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah, normally they pass through the sky in seconds.” Scoots chimed in.
They followed the burning trail as it slowly moved through the black of night.
“Uh girls, Is it me or is it coming closer?” Apple Bloom asked.
Indeed the streak of fire shot through the sky, growing ever larger.
“Its coming this way!”
With a whoosh the flaming object passed high over the orchard, directly over the clubhouse, and then streaked towards the Everfree forest. Leaving behind a trail of flaming gases that slowly dispersed. It vanished out of sight beyond the trees, and then a series of muffled bangs like distant thunder followed several moments later.
“Whoa, what was that?” Scootaloo said as she stared at the last traces of fire over the Everfree.
“I dunno. That ain't like no shooting star I ever heard about. Shooting stars are always tiny.” Apple Bloom said.
“How do you know?”
“Twilight has one in the library. It’s about the size of a buck ball. She said that was one of the larger ones they’ve found. Usually they are a lot smaller.” Sweetie Belle cut in.
“So whatever that was wasn’t a shooting star.”
“We should go check it out.” Scootaloo said.
“I dunno if that’s a good idea. It did land in the Everfree.”
“Come on, this is perfect. We might discover something completely new here. Something nopony has ever seen. We’ll be famous.”
“I dunno if ah wanna be famous.” Apple Bloom said.
“We could get our cutie marks for this!” Scoot retorted.
“A cutie mark for what?” Sweetie asked skeptically.
“Discovering the unknown, duh. We could be even more famous explorers than Daring Do.”
In the end, common sense lost the struggle. Clobbered over the head by the bat wielding desire for a cutie mark.
Armed with flashlights the CMC set off into the Everfree forest to find the mysterious object from the sky.
With a hiss of releasing pressure, the doors to the inner sanctum slid open. The cavernous room was dark, the only illumination present coming from various electrical systems, computer banks and control panels, displaying a constant stream of data and other readouts. The temperature in the room was just above freezing. The lone figure that entered slowly walked down the only available path between the softly humming databanks. Above him, semi organic tubes squelched and gurgled as they pumped around unmentionable liquids. Reaching the end of the isle, he came upon a low dais with a single, large command chair. At his approach the chair swiveled round, and its occupant fixed him with a dispassionate stare.
“Your report, commander.”
“My master, they... “ He swallowed nervously. “They escaped.”
“Escaped?”
“Yes master.”
There was a long pause. The commander tried his best not to shiver as he waited. Eventually his master resumed speaking.
“How did they manage this? Was not one of their number mortally injured? Surely they did not risk using it with him in such a condition.”
“No master, they did not. They made a blind fold jump to evade capture.”
“Truly? They must have been beyond desperate to take such an insane risk. I assume you are sending out probes.”
“Yes great one. We have already dispatched fifty-thousand units. But as you know, without coordinates or even partial coordinates to follow the chances of finding them in a timely fashion….”
“I do not need a reminder of the odds, commander. I know what the statistics say. Nevertheless, they must be found, and either captured or eradicated. Whichever option is the more feasible at the time. Do I make myself clear?”
“Absolutely oh merciful one.”
“Cease your groveling, commander. It is unbecoming of your station. I am not about to kill the messenger just because he delivers me bad news. If I did that, soon no-one would dare bring me any news at all.”
“A thousand pardons, master.”
The figure in the chair waved him off with a hand. “You have your orders, I expect daily reports on your progress.”
The commander saluted crisply before beating a hasty retreat from the chamber.
Outside the ship, hundreds upon hundreds of metallic shapes spewed forth from sphincter like openings along the hull. Each probe then floated towards the last location of the small vessel, and initiated an uncoordinated space fold. Hurling themselves blindly across the galaxy in the hopes of finding their quarry. Hundreds of them ended up eradicating themselves. Some ended up inside supernovae, crushed inside the grasp of black holes, obliterated by neutron stars, or ended up beyond the edge of the known galaxy with no chance of returning. Others simply got ripped apart by the chaotic gravitational forces resulting from their uncoordinated jumps. .
Probe ZR-95 initiated its fold system and vanished in the blink of an eye, only to appear above a sparkling blue and green planet on the other side of the galaxy. Its sensors immediately lit up as a faint signature caught its attention. A fading energy trail spiraled down towards the surface in an uncontrolled fashion. With a quick burst of its intrasystem engine, ZR-95 hurled itself towards the planet, after its target.
“Are ya sure ya know where we’re going? Ah feel like we've seen that same tree four times already.” said Apple Bloom as they trudged through the darkness of the Everfree forest.
The forest was already gloomy during the day. In the middle of the night they could barely see the end of their own muzzle.
“I know what I’m doing.” Scootaloo said irritably around the flashlight she held in her mouth, “I’m using the stars to navigate, like they taught us at flight camp.”
“I thought you quit flight camp after the first week?” said Sweetie Belle, to which Scootaloo shot her a glare.
“I only skipped the practical parts because I can’t fly. I still learned all the other stuff.”
“That may be, but y’all can barely see the stars through the canopy.
“Would you two just trust me already.”
“Sorry, guess ah’m just nervous.
They were startled by the sound of something big moving around nearby. They all clapped their hooves over their mouths at the last moment and jumped into some bushes. And not a moment too soon, for a giant translucent paw descended through the trees, stomping through the Area they just vacated.
“Holy hay fever, it's an ursa minor.” Scootaloo whispered.
The enormous bear made of starstuff lazily trudged through the woods, completely oblivious to their presence. It casually made its way over to the nearby river where it stuck its giant muzzle in the water and began to drink noisily.
“Let’s get out of here while it’s occupied.” Sweetie whispered urgently.
The rest of the crusaders nodded eagerly, and keeping a low profile, the girls made their way across the trail the ursa left behind as swiftly as possible.
They made good time, and despite the hard conditions, fortune smiled upon them as they managed to avoid any further dangers. Soon the faint glow of firelight could be seen through the trees, and the smell of charred wood and something metallic reached their sensitive noses.
“Careful now, we don’t know what to expect.” said Sweetie Belle.
“Musta been some fire.” Apple Bloom said quietly, “These trees are completely scorched. The bark has been turned into charcoal.”
When they finally reached the impact site itself their mouths fell open. A deep trench had been carved into the soil by the strange thing that fel from the sky. Whatever it was had broken apart on impact. There were pieces of debris everywhere. Some were as small as tin cans. Others as large as a carriage. Fires burned in small pools here and there, but mercifully didn’t produce too much smoke.
“What is all this?” Apple Bloom asked.
“This… almost looks like the wreckage of a moon ship.” Sweetie Belle said. Voice quiet with awe.
“A what?” Asked Scootaloo.
“A moon ship, like in the Lunar Rebellion comics.”
“Since when are y’all so interested in colt comics?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Since Button Mash reads them.” Scootaloo said with a smirk towards Sweetie, who blushed.
“It’s got nothing to do with him.” she squeaked, her voice cracking.
“Suuure it doesn’t.” Scootaloo drawled.
“K-knock it off Scoot.” Sweetie muttered, her cheeks growing hot as the blood rushed to her head. She gave the little pegasus a light shove with her hoof and moved on.
“Somepony has a crush.” Scoot sing songed quietly to Apple Bloom, who gave a little giggle.
“Come on scoot, be nice. Button’s a nice colt. We should be happy for her.”
“Eh, if by nice you mean weird. Always running around with that joy-boy game.”
“Yeah, ah guess you’d be more interested in Rumble, right?”
Scoots own cheeks turned pink. “What? No I’m not.” she protested.
Before Apple Bloom had a chance to tease her further, Sweetie Belle’s voice drew their attention.
“Girls! Over here! Come quick!” she called out. Applebloom and Scootaloo rushed over to find her.
What they saw when they reached her was like something straight out of one of Spike’s comic collection. Lying on the ground was an alien creature with blue furless skin. Dressed in a tight suit made from some strange material. The suit was torn and shredded in several places. As was the creature's skin. A small pool of purplish blood was slowly spreading beneath it. The girls couldn’t be certain but something about the creatures look suggested it was male.
“Oh my gosh, are you awright?” Applebloom gasped as she saw the state the creature was in.
“He looks really hurt.” Sweetie Belle squeaked. Her voice thick with worry. “There’s two others over there. I think… I think they may be, d-dead.”
The strange being let out a shaky gasp as he clutched his abdomen. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.
“It’s alright mister. We’ll get you to a doctor.” Scootaloo said, doing her best to sound confident. Yet she couldn’t entirely keep the uncertainty from her voice.
“Hnng… there is.. there is no time.” the creature panted. He clearly struggled to breathe, but pushed himself upright into a sitting position anyway, leaning against a piece of wreckage for support. “Soon.. they will be coming… ugh… coming for your world.”
“You speak equestrian?!” Scoot said with surprise.
“Who’s comin’?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Please… no time, come closer.” he said between wet coughs.
The crusaders reluctantly complied. Their faces tense with worry.
“It is.. Huuuh.. too late for me. But not for your world.” He reached out with a shaking limb. “I sense in you three… a good heart… courage… empathy… strength.”
The girls looked at each other uncertainly. Wondering where he was going with this.
“You will need those traits… in the days to come. You must rely… on each other.”
Another string of coughs wracked his form. Blood spattering onto his chest. With an effort he took another breath.
“The heart, mind and body…. together as one. More than the sum…. of its parts” he rasped. “With this..you will become... a great champion. Perform… miracles.”
Lifting a trembling arm, the stranger’s hand began to glow with a golden light. Spheres of that same golden color enveloped the crusaders, setting their fur on end like an electric charge. Tendrils of golden lightning erupted between the three spheres. Connecting them together in a rough circle. The light pulsed, quickly at first, but then it slowed down until it matched the crusaders individual heartbeats. The moment that happened the golden color began to change, until it matched the hue of their eyes. The alien seemed pleased by this.
Slowly the glow around the stranger’s hand faded into nothing. The spheres around the crusaders expanded briefly, then shrunk rapidly until they vanished into their individual chests.
“Hnng… use… use it wisely. Keep each other safe…. protect your world… huuugh… protect each other, and what is dear to you.”
“W-wait, what did you just do to us?” Sweetie Belle said with mounting panic.
He breathed in slow.
“I am sorry… for placing such a… heavy burden… on you all.” he coughed hard. More blood leaking from his lips, and a pained grunt escaped his throat as he fought to breathe. “But.. in time… you will shine.”
He then slumped, his eyes slowly closing.
“I would have like… ghuu… I would liked to see the sunrise… one last time.” He slowly looked at the bodies of his comrades, and a small smile tugged at his bloodied lips. “Asare, Rajek, I will see you soon old friends.”
The crusaders watched as his chest rose and fell for the last time. And though they did not know him, they wept for him all the same.
“Should… should we bury them?” Scootaloo, choked out in a small voice as she rubbed the tears from her eyes.
“Ah don’t know. We don’t even know what customs they have for… for the dead.” Apple Bloom sobbed quietly. The sight of the deceased aliens was dredging up old and painful memories about her own parents passing.
“We.. we can’t just leave them here, can we?” said Sweetie Belle, her voice thick with sadness.
“Maybe we should just go home and… and tell our sisters.”
Just as they were about to start their return trip, something rumbled overhead.
“Look, its another star.” Scootaloo said as a streak of fire appeared above them.
The streak quickly got bigger and bigger, angling straight towards them.
“Uhm girls, maybe we should get outta the way.” Apple Bloom said with growing worry in her voice as the fireball loomed ever closer. “Like, right now!”
The crusaders started to run back towards the treeline. They barely made it when the ground shook beneath their hooves as the second object impacted right next to the wreckage of the ship. The crusaders were blown off their hooves by the pressure wave of the impact, and the deafening point blank thunderclap, so loud it felt like their teeth were being rattled loose.
“What in the name of Celestia was that!” Scoot yelled as she picked herself up out of the dirt.
The second impact had been straight down, rather than at an angle. So instead of a long trench there was only a relatively small crater. As the dust cleared, they could see that said crater was glowing red hot from within.
“You think it's another moon ship?”
“I dunno.” Sweetie said as she took a hesitant step towards the crater. “Let’s go see.”
“Be careful, there could be anything in there.”
They got as close as they could before the scorching heat became unbearable. Straining their eyes to try and see.
“There’s something moving in there.” Apple Bloom said as something in the crater stirred.
“How can that be? It must be like a bazillion degrees in there.” Said Scootaloo.
“That’s not a real number.” Sweetie Belle frowned.
Whatever was down there let out a sudden screech of hard static, startling the trio. The glowing, half buried mass began to move, and the CMC took a step back in fear.
What emerged from the impact crater was a rumbling mass of red hot metal. It's curled up body unfolded into a multi-legged monstrosity with an armored body, almost like a giant scorpion, complete with pincers and tail. But these pincers were three pronged, and when they closed, they formed a large, conical drill head. And the tail held no stinger but some kind of swiveling eye that glowed balefully. The entire thing made a near deafening noise like a thrumming bass humm, coupled with the loud crackle hiss of electrical discharge that arced along the gaps between the armored plates.
“Giiiirls…. ah think we should run.” Apple Bloom moaned quietly as fear gripped her heart.
The metal monster turned its baleful eye towards the wreckage of the spacecraft, then unleashed a blinding bolt of green plasma. The blast impacted one of the larger pieces of debris, then detonated in a white flash. When the searingly bright light died down all that was left of the wreckage was a glittering carbon scorched section of ground. The heat having turned some of the sand in the soil to glass.
“Run, definitely run!” Sweetie Belle squeaked and started to leg it. The other crusaders followed suit.
Behind them the alien machine unleashed several more salvo’s of searing plasma, eradicating every last trace of the spacecraft wreckage. It then sent out some kind of energy pulse. When the pulse washed over the retreating forms of the CMC, their bodies lit up like lightbulbs to it’s sensors. With a noise that almost sounded like a mechanical snarl, the machine turned its eye to them.
“It spotted us!” Scootaloo yelped in fear, picking up speed.
The metal behemoth began to lumber after them, moving surprisingly fast. Its pincer claws opened and snapped shut repeatedly with a metallic clang, creating fat yellow sparks with each impact.
The girls reached the treeline and galloped for their lives into the thick vegetation. Branches scratched and tore at their manes and coats as they ran blindly through the bushes.
“Wha.. what does it want from us.” Sweetie Belle panted.
“Ah dunno. But let’s not find out!” Apple Bloom replied, breathing hard.
“Just keep running.” Yelled Scootaloo, “Just. Keep. Running!”
And run they did. None of them dared to look back at the sounds of splintering timber that was following them as the machine tore through the trees with its drill pincers at a frightening pace.
They were so focused on getting away from one monster, they didn’t realise they ran straight into the path of another. The ursa minor they passed by earlier was still roaming around, and the crusaders blind run had led them straight back to it. As the screaming trio exited the bushes, the giant beast turned its snout towards them.
All three of them tried to stop, but their momentum was too great, and they ended up tripping over their own hooves. Coming to a halt in a pile of flailing limbs, right in front of the ursa. The giant bear opened its maw and let out an annoyed roar.
“Outta the frying pan…” said Apple Bloom
“...And into the fire.” Scootaloo finished.
Behind them the alien machine came barreling through the trees. Trunks snapped like twigs between its armored pincers. The ursa minor let out a loud roar towards the newest intruder in its territory. Though barely a quarter of the ursa’s size, the alien machine wasn’t the least bit intimidated by the mythical beast. It raised its pincers as they snapped into drill position with a metallic clang, then its eye unleashed a searing plasma blast.
The crusaders threw themselves to the ground as the machine opened fire. The heat of the plasma stung their backs as the bolt passed overhead.
The blast struck the ursa, tearing a ragged hole into its side. Had the mythical beast not been made of tangible energy that single blast would have been more than fatal. As it was, it still hurt incredibly, and the giant beast let out a deafening roar. Crushing several trees as it stomped around in pain.
The alien machine didn’t give the beast any time to recover. It rumbled forward, drills leading the way. Their tips pierced through the ursa’s shimmering form, then opened up like a pair of shredders. The forest floor was soon littered with little bits of sentient star stuff as the machine did its grisly work.
The ursa didn’t take this lying down however. With an almighty roar it lashed out with one of its forepaws. Sending the probe crashing through several trees, tearing them to splinters in the process.
The crusaders took that as their cue to bolt. They started running again, only to be cut off by a plasma blast that ignited the section of forest before them, cutting off their escape route. Without thinking they turned around and ran the other way. They almost got squashed by one of the ursa’s paws, since their only escape route led past the beast. The three fillies ran like the wind. Hearts hammering against their chests.
Noticing its targets were about to leave the area, the machine chose to finish the job. As the ursa stomped forward to lay into it once again, the two pincers came up and grabbed it by the sides of its head. The plasma blaster whipped around, and unloaded a continuous stream into the beast's face. By the time it was over, all that was left of the ursa’s head was its lower jaw, and a piece of its neck. It would take moons for it to finally regenerate. With the obstacle removed, the drone resumed its pursuit.
The crusaders, unfortunately, had not gotten very far. They exited the trees only to find themselves cut off by a steep cliff side at least a dozen yards deep. A fall from that height would leave them seriously injured, at minimum. With nowhere to run, they turned to face the treeline, and their approaching doom.
They huddled close together as the machine ripped its way through the last of the trees between them.
“I’m sorry I made you two come out there.” Scootaloo whimpered with tears in her eyes.
“At least we’ll be together.” Apple Bloom squeaked as she hugged the other two tightly.
Sweetie Belle said nothing, she just clung to her two best friends as tightly as she could. None of them noticed the jolts of gold colored electricity that began to leap between them.
The alien probe brought its drill pincers down to finally catch its quarry, only to be stopped dead by a nimbus of golden energy that sprang up around the crusaders. Sparks flew from the drill tips as the machine tried to pierce the field, but push as it might, the shield wasn’t budging.
“W-what's happening?” Sweetie Belle cried out as her entire body began to glow bright white.
“Ah don’t know!” Apple Bloom yelped as the same thing happened to her and Scootaloo.
Golden lightning arced between their bodies. Drawing them closer together. And then there was only blinding white light. Like a miniature star. Their forms became shapeless, pushing against each other. Mingling, merging.
The machine let out a mechanical roar, blasting its target with bolts of plasma. But the blazing energy harmlessly splashed against the barrier. Suddenly that barrier released. A concussive wave spreading outward, throwing the machine back. The light vanished to reveal a single form.
Standing in the middle of the scorched patch of ground was a pony. Tall and regal, with a pale orange coat that turned to yellow halfway down her legs, and finally to white as it reached her hooves. She spread a magnificent pair of wings. Its feathers once more going from orange to yellow, to snow white at their tips. Her mane and tail were long, wild and flowing, with small curls here and there. Like her coat, her hair was also made up of three colors. Primarily a bright amaranth, with streaks of cerise and rose pink running through it from root to tip in a wild pattern. From between the locks of her mane emerged a snow white horn. And when she opened her eyes, they were the color of silver, like the starlight itself.
Conscious thought returned to Scootaloo. She felt very confused for a moment. Everything felt so strange. Like she was sensing the world for the first time. Truly sensing it.
“What.. what happened?” she thought
“I don’t know.” the voice of sweetie belle rang through her mind.
“Scoot? Sweetie? Is that you?” came Apple Bloom’s voice.
“What is going on?” Scoot thought.
“I dunno.” Sweetie replied, “it’s like… you are all inside my head.”
“That’s exactly how I feel.” thought Apple Bloom, “it’s like, like ah can feel y’all. Like y’all are a part of me.
“Where are we?” Scoot asked.
“I’m inside a body, but… it’s like an adult body.” said Sweetie.
“Me too.” said Bloom. “But the colors are all wrong.”
A hoof suddenly filled their vision.
“See, mah hoof doesn’t have white in it.”
“Wait a second, I’m seeing the same thing.” Sweetie shouted. “Did you move that hoof just now?”
“Ah think so, ah mean, ah wanted to.”
“Wait a second… are we all sharing the same body? Aaugh this is so confusing!” Scoot groaned.
“But then, who’s in control?” said sweetie.
“Uhm girls…. We still have a problem.”
The alien machine had regained its footing. Stomping forward it approached the multi-colored pony, its plasma blaster lighting up in preparation to fire again.
“Oh no!” Sweetie Belle yelped. Wishing for something, anything, to protect them.
As the machine fired off another round, the horn of the mare lit up with a silver glow, and a dome of energy formed to deflect the burning plasma.
“Whoa.. how did you make us do that? That was awesome!” Scootaloo’s voice shouted in her mind.
“I dunno. I just wished for something to protect us from that, thing. I remember watching twilight practicing shields. I wished we had something like that.”
“Ya realize ya just did real magic, Sweetie Belle.”
The alien machine let out a metallic growl and began to fire at their combined form in a single continuous stream.
“Uuuueeegh… can’t keep this up.” Sweetie groaned.
“It’s like somepony is pounding on mah head.” Apple Bloom said.
“Ugh, is this what it’s like to use magic?” Scootaloo asked.
“Forget that, we gotta do something, before were cooked.” Sweetie grunted.
“Let’s run away.” Apple Bloom groaned. The strain of holding up the force field becoming stronger.
“We already tried that.”
“But we have wings now too.” Said scootaloo. And their new body spread its wings wide.
“How do we even know they work.” said Sweetie Belle.
“Only one way to find out. Are you with me crusaders?”
It only took a moment for them to make up their collective mind. Then they did the mental equivalent of a high five.
“Yeah!” they all shouted.
The probe prepared to increase the output on its main weapon once more when suddenly its target crouched down, then took a mighty leap into the sky, accelerating at near supersonic speeds.
An exuberant yell of ‘Wooohoooo’ echoed through the night.
“This, is, AWESOME!” Scootaloo’s voice screamed through their minds, and in the outside world, so did their body.
“This is crazy.” Apple Bloom whimpered. “Earth ponies weren’t meant ta fly.”
“Well you’re not an earth pony no more. Relax, I got this. I was born for this” Scoot replied. Exhilarating in the feeling of flight.
“So we have wings, and a horn…. does this make us an alicorn?” asked Sweetie Belle. Who took their impromptu flight in much better stride than Apple Bloom. It felt strange to have wings, but the sensation of the wind rushing through their feathers and over their face was quite exhilarating.
“Ah.. guess?” Apple Bloom replied. The feeling of unbridled joy that was radiating from the part of her mind that she shared with Scootaloo slowly calming her fear of flying.
“So what do we do now?” Sweetie asked.
They were interrupted by a bolt of plasma zipping past them. The alien probe had taken flight and was starting to catch up to them, having returned to its folded configuration it looked more like a flying caterpillar or pupa.
“That thing is still there?” Scoot grunted in annoyance.
“It sure is persistent.”
“We need to do somethin’ before it hurts somepony.” Bloom said.
“Namely us.” Scoot grunted.
“Lets at least steer it away from any towns.” said Sweetie.
“I know just the place.” said Scootaloo. And their body adjusted its flightpath to head straight towards Ghastly Gorge.
“So how do we stop this thing?”
“Do some magic, cast a spell.” Apple Bloom said. Directing her thought towards Sweetie Belle.
“I don’t even know how I did the one before.” she answered.
“Well we need somethin’, a weapon, anythin’ y’all can think of.”
“Maybe… maybe it works like Radiance’s power.”
“Who?” Asked Scootaloo.
“Radiance! You know, from the Power Ponies.”
“What is it with you and colt comics lately Sweetie Belle?” Bloom asked.
“Is this about Button Mash again?” Scoot chimed in.
“No!” Sweetie squeaked indignantly.
“Not the time for teasin’ Scootaloo. How does it work Sweetie Belle?”
“Well,” she huffed, “she has this magic bracelet that makes whatever she imagines appear. So she can literally make weapons out of thin air.”
“So we just gotta think of something really hard? Alright.” Apple Bloom said, and put deed to word.
Once more their horn lit up, and in the air before them formed a silver shovel of pure magical energy, three times as big as a pony.
“A shovel? Really?” both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle deadpanned.
“It was all ah could think off.”
“You couldn’t, oh I dunno, imagine a spear or something?” Scoot shouted in disbelief.
“Ah’m a farmer not a guard pony.”
“Whatever, let’s get that monster.” Scootaloo quipped.
The probe’s processors registered what we might consider a moment of confusion when its target suddenly spun around in midair, and made a beeline straight for it. The alicorn grabbed the magic shovel in both hooves and reared back.
“FOOORE!” she bellowed, then swung the shovel round.
With a mighty bang the probe was smacked aside, and sent crashing into the ground below. Leaving a sizeable imprint in the soil at the bottom of the ghastly gorge.
“Fore?” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom asked, doing the mental equivalent of raising one’s eyebrow.
“It’s what my dad always yells when he’s out golfing.” Sweetie said sheepishly.
Below them the probe was pulling itself out of the ground. Several searing blasts of plasma shot up towards them, but their new body deftly evaded the deadly projectiles.
“Ah dunno ‘bout you two, but ah just about had enough of this thang.” Bloom said with annoyance.
“Let’s take it down!” Scoot shouted.
The alicorn threw herself into a dive. Shovel leading the way like a spear. The machine had just managed to extract itself, when they impacted it like a guided missile, slamming it straight back down again with a loud kaboom that shook the sides of the gorge. Rising from the dust, the alicorn grabbed the shovel and began pounding on the armor with it.
“STUPID! NASTY! MOON! SHIP! THING! LEAVE! US! ALONE! YOU! BIG! FAT! MEANY!” She shouted, punctuating every word with a bang of the shovel.
The machine’s armor plates began to warp and buckle under the relentless assault. They were literally pounding the thing into the ground. The tail whipped up to try and blast them at point blank range, but a hit from the shovel smashed it aside. The blast hit the canyon wall and boulders the size of cars began to rain down.
“Watch out!” Sweetie Belle’s warning shouted through their minds, throwing their body into a reverse dive to evade the falling boulders. They barely made it to safety before the entire canyon wall collapsed, burying the probe under a ton of rock.
“You think it’s over?” Scootaloo asked as the dust began to settle.
“Ah sure hope so.” Said Apple Bloom.
They all felt rather tired after that last outburst. Their combined body ached like she did after a hard day working the field with her big brother and sister.
“I think we broke the gorge.” Sweetie said as they looked at the now partially collapsed side of ghastly gorge.
The alicorn cringed slightly.
“Ah sure hope nopony is gonna be mad ‘bout that.” Apple Bloom said quietly.
The ground beneath their hooves suddenly began to tremble. Cracks appeared in the stone, then a drill burst from the ground, opening up into a grabbing pincer and snapping shut around the alicorns barrel. The rest of the alien machine emerged from the ground. Somehow having survived being completely crushed by the falling rubble. It had not escaped entirely unscathed however. Its plasma blaster had been torn off its tail, and several armor plates were completely shattered by the impact of multiple tons of rock. Even so, It had tunneled underneath the ground to surprise its target.
Said target brought its shovel round to lay into it once more. But the other pincer grabbed the head of the shovel before it could strike. The probe then began to pound its prisoner into the rocky ground repeatedly.
“OW! Stop it! AAAGH.” the crusaders all yelled in their minds. Their body however didn’t have time to speak as the air was blasted out of their lungs with each painful impact. The shovel vanished as their concentration broke and their magic fizzled out of existence.
Their thoughts were filled with pain, fear and sadness as the alien machine did its level best to beat the life out of them.
Apple Bloom felt sad because she would never see her brother, sister and granny again. Sweetie Belle feared how her sister would fare once she learned of her fate. It would surely destroy her. Not to mention her parents.
Scootaloo on the other hand didn’t feel fear or sadness. Well, not entirely. Yes she felt afraid. Who wouldn’t be in her situation. But most of all she felt mad. Mad at this monster from the sky for trying to hurt her and her friends. That anger turned from a little flame into a bonfire as she directed it solely at the alien machine.
Their was a flash of silver light as their horn lit up and unleashed a beam of pure, raw magic. Through some miracle of good fortune, the beam struck a crack in the machine’s armor, and from there tore through the interior like a hot knife through butter, blasting out the other end in a shower of shrapnel and debris, leaving behind a smoking hole, wide enough for a filly to walk through.
The alien machine shuddered, then its legs gave out and it collapsed into a heap. The light in its eye fading out.
Slowly, painfully, the alicorn body the crusaders shared got back to its hooves. She ached all over, but didn’t appear to have sustained any truly serious injury. Carefully she stepped forward, poking the machine warily.
“I think it's out for good this time.” Sweetie said.
“Ah hope so.” said Apple Bloom.
“Wait.. you girls hear that?” Scootaloo chimed in.
A faint beeping sound was coming from the machine. Slowly getting louder and faster.
“What do you think it means?”
Before either of her friends could answer, the machine exploded in a blinding ball of fire, triggering a second avalanche that collapsed the entire west section of ghastly gorge.
The crusaders combined form slammed into the ground, having been thrown clear by the explosion. She was battered and bruised, and her mane was a bit singed. But it could have been far, far worse.
“Well… so much for that thing.” Sweetie Belle was the first to speak while they brought their body back to its hooves.
“Whaddya suppose that was all about?” Asked Apple bloom.
“I dunno, I’m just glad to be alive.” Scootaloo replied.
They stared at the destruction before them in silence for a moment before they all thought the exact same thing.
“Let’s get back to the clubhouse.”
Putting thought to action their body spread its wings and took to the sky. Everything ached, and they were grateful that the flight only took a few minutes. They soared low over the orchard, then came to a running stop beside their clubhouse, nearly tripping over their own hooves in the process.
“We gotta work on those landings.” Scootaloo idly thought.
“Is that really our biggest concern?” Apple Bloom cut in as they made their way inside the clubhouse and shut the door.
“how are we going to explain this to our families.” she said as their body gestured at itself.
“We’re in so much trouble.” Sweetie Belle moaned.
Their combined thoughts turned somber as they contemplated their future. They began to dust off their new form when they discovered something that made them all gasp.
“No way.”
“Is that?”
“It is!”
Right there on their flank was a cutie mark. Three white stars, linked together by a magenta and purple halo.
“Well, at least there was one upside to all of this.” Said Sweetie Belle.
The feeling of joy was somewhat overwhelmed by their worries though. None of them really knew what to do about their situation. How were they going to explain all of this come morning? The night’s activities were also starting to catch up with them, everything felt sore and tender as their body let out a mighty yawn.
“Let’s worry about this in the morning.” Scootaloo said as their body gingerly lay itself down.
She felt Sweetie and Apple Bloom give the mental equivalent of a nod. Their body closed its eyes, and soon they fell into a dreamless sleep.
