Arisen: Winter Knight

by Arien BadFox

Rating: mature
Tags: Other, Romance, Science Fiction, Crystal Ponies, Adventure, Sex, Human, Yaks, Princess Luna, Gore, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 21804

Memories were not meant to be forgotten but to be records of the past. My fragmented mind is shattered into a jigsaw puzzle needing to be complete.

(Read below in the description)

War is always the same no matter how you look at it how there is the difference between time and what the race is fighting for. It always starts and ends in bloodshed and those who die in battle families' would be devastated to hear of their lost family members. The feel for war is inevitable as there will be some having the thrill of killing enjoying the acts of killing. I can't say killing feels good, but the consequences of taking a life will be a weight on my shoulders if I don't cope with it. And the memories I lost doesn't help either, how many did I kill before losing my memories? If there was a god of death in hell what would he say about the number of people I have killed?

So many questions I have only a rare few being answered every day I live. May those who watch me do not judge my actions, I will trust my heart for how I feel about making what I want to believe the right choice. If this cold winter storm doesn't kill me then those watching over me has something in store.

\Anthro will be for certain species not for the ponies unless for special reseasons/

Published 2017-11-19 04:40:11 UTC
Last updated 2017-11-27 01:19:47 UTC

Prologue (unedited)

Prologue

In the years of man before they even reached past heaven to the stars above there was one man, name is unknown even to this day, who believed that they were created by a chemical reaction from apes. He did not have much evidence other than seeing how man and ape were distant relatives that there was actually an explanation that man was not created by some mythical gods that created the planets, life, and man. Many people did not believe his theory nor the evidence he has as it sounded ridiculous, but there were other people that had heard of this man’s theory and began to spread the word of ancient alien artifacts. This sounded unbelievable as people or even a small group wanting this man’s theory to be true. The ancient alien artifacts that they spread were true, but they were not on the surface no they were hidden in caves with special locks to be only opened by the bright minds of Mercy.

The devices of alien tech were what the man, who believed they were chemical biogenetic DNA mutation, had as evidence being a key in a shape of a small three-dimensional kite for it unlocks a vault buried beneath Mercy’s crust. Man did not know this as the vault had been hidden from long as history dates back farther back before man existed, but it goes farther back. They created to help the inhabitants of the planet to travel their own solar system, but what it did has given humanity an early evolution of science from primitive bows and knights in shining armor to advance weapons able to fire small projectiles through sixteen lays of steel and colonies living on the moon. Science has never been this advance to the human race in just a short amount of time, but this was not the Lenian Galaxy where man still believe that one only one God had created everything alive and where science is slowly advancing in decades.

The year of the first discovery of alien tech was the 900’s where a man had uncovered the first vault hidden beneath an empire. This empire was a different race of humans as they resemble the Chinese, but they had more land and lived in the south; however, the name they gave themselves were the Nama. These people were seen as Vikings and Chinese warriors mixed together having the tradition of Chinese and boldness as Vikings if they ever exist on Earth in Lenian’s milky way. They never knew what the vault held as they didn’t have the key. Years went by to the 931st where three kingdoms united together and had invaded the Nama’s lands causing havoc and destruction.

After years of fighting the first kingdom that united had the key to unlock their first vault. This kingdom was thought to be the hands of gods but in truth, it was actually the group of people that had believed there were no gods. They had the key to open the vault and show the world that there was no such thing as gods, but everything came at a price.

As years went by after the discovery of the first vault another country far away had opened theirs before, but they had a goal to bring peace to all those they met as their weaponry were a bit advanced. This country was named Numeri by its inhabitants. A country like would have been a threat to all if they did not wish peace for all of mankind to be under a single flag for their planet Mercy.

The first meeting did not bold well with the native of the other country as there was bloodshed from a misfire of a warning shot. A war had broken out and those they fought against each other primitive against the advance. This war would have been quick and simple, but the first kingdom to open the vault on their country had learned ways of giving their knights better armor and swords. The T-31 was the first power armor in history to be remembered as it was a combination of a knight’s full steel armor and alien tech, and the same goes for the broadswords.

This fighting had come to a standstill for over a hundred years. Both sides grew more advanced from the past hundred of years, around 56.2 million of people had died in this war, including those who did not partake in this war. So much death and destruction had caused more than enough havoc that it causes two secret groups within the separate countries to unite and stop this before it is the end of man.

The two groups were seen as the founding fathers of a single union named The Syndicates. They had ended the fight through tactics and speech how this war was tearing humanity apart, how they would soon destroy each other if they don’t stop fighting. During this time there was no such thing as freedom of speech during this war those who talked about the enemy would face the charge of death, but when two of the group’s member spoken out everyone had stopped and finally listen.

“Why was there alien tech in great vaults, were they supposed to be a secret weapon stash for invading alien!? Do we not know what could have happened if we continue this war!? Will these builders of the vault come back while we’re busy fighting our own human race, if so then we must be prepared for an alien invasion just in case!” Both of the speakers had brought commend sense to the people in both countries causing riots in both countries. These riots had caused the leaders to create a peace treaty to prevent more and more riots within their lands or else they would have to fight their own people. This treaty had made the world a better place for both countries, but they weren’t the only one as there were six other countries with their own people.

These people did not want to partake in this fight, so they watch from the sidelines as all six did not unlock their own vaults because of what they feared that they would be targeted. The vaults they held within their lands were valuable to the people living on Mercy, but one was not meant to be open. Before I start to explain why it wasn’t meant to be open let us go to the program of how one homunculus was created.

In the year 1192, a Cosmian had been making theories that they can construct new life make humans better. This Cosmian’s name was Ike, a scientist who believes in genetic slicing; biogenetic DNA combining. He had performed countless experiments of creating chimeras where those who study alchemy of transmuting a human and animal together but at the cost of the creature living a short life and feeling agonizing pain. This brilliant scientist wanted a man to become gods of a newly created race where they would put them in slavery where they are sold to the highest bidder. These experiments weren’t heard of for twenty years until the very first Furvors (furry race) had been created and discovered by a Syndicate agent. Ike had used human semen and animal together to impregnate various types of animals there were many failures until about sixteen separate species had been able to give birth thirty-nine animals with baby human features. Ike could have injected animal DNA in humans to make them stronger, but ever since the first thirty fails he had given up on as each had negative effects and horrible results that ended in disfigurement and death.

News of this created race had spread like wildfire causing an uproar of inhumane experiments that must head, but it was too take. Furvors were already sold and were nothing more than a slave. All of this slavery business had caused the people under the flag of Syndicate to demand the freedom to this new race.

The government where Ike lives under feared the power of the Syndicate and have asked for a peaceful negotiation to prevent a war between the planet’s advanced countries. The negotiation of handing over Professor Ike and free the Furvors had gone smoothly with no vile words spoken to provoke a war and a grudge. After news of the Furvors being freed from slavery and Ike being handed over to the Syndicates and put in jail. People under the united flag had thought there would be no more trouble, but they were wrong.

Forty years later after the freed Furvors, their race began to expand from thirty-nine to sixty hundred twenty-nine thousand. Riots began to start as the Furvors were not fully seen as citizens in some eyes, they were rejected or had to pay a higher price. Schools with the kids have a higher rate of bullying on this species. The Syndicates did not want any more fights even if they have a good amount of law enforcement there were higher death rates from criminals fighting back. Over twenty thousands of law enforcers were killed in the forty years causing the Syndicates to release Ike and ask for a way to create new law enforcement where they do not die easily and have a better chance of taking out a whole gang without breaking a sweat. This was promising to Ike as he had something in a plan but it would take time to let them grow as injecting a human egg with lizard DNA strand of its regenerative abilities. “It would take over five years for a homunculus to grown into an adult as they grow much faster and live longer than a normal human or even live forever if possible.” These were the words said by the scientist has he had done over five hundred human eggs before waiting for five years. Only six had made it, but these six were the only ones that the Syndicate needed. After the six Peacekeepers were made riots and crime had been kept below forty percent in separate countries.

Three years after the project Peacekeeper one of the other countries had finally opened their vault, but what they didn’t expect was a virus meant to kills all humans on the planet. This virus had spread over the years without the whole planet knowing what was unleashed on them. After a year two hundred thousands plus were dead, doctors began to question what had caused the death. Another year passed over four hundred thousand dead, doctors and scientists began to investigate these unknown cause of death across Mercy. The finale year had passed over 32.1 million people had died which had caused panic and people in the Syndicate began to blame the Furvors that they had caused this death, but after the blame doctors and scientists finally found the virus. They had tried to create a vaccine to prevent any more being infected with this virus, though the virus mutates every time it is introduced with a type of cure changing its genetic code to prevent the vaccine to give the human body’s immune system to work against it.

By this year Ike had begun to develop four hundred projects of the homunculus to prepare a war against the Furvors as another began to work on a machine to give humanity mechanical parts and machine to live through the virus. Before man could launch this attack almost three quarter of humanity had died from the virus leaving those who were genetically immune to the virus, scientist were too busy trying to find a cure they didn’t pay attention to the immune, but by the time the fifth year of the virus it began to mutate again where the dead would come to life and those infected have a genetic mutation and the plants inside the vault grew into a grave mind. The machine had been done before its own inventor had died, it had studied the human’s corpse and began its own project where life on this planet would be the machine like it. The Peacekeepers managed to survive but only two out of six survived becoming the main survivors of the Syndicate. As for the war homunculus, only three managed to grow into human forms. Furvors had moved out after discovering the infected they all scattered around different parts of ruin cities or new land they made colonies.

As this day after another a hundred fifty years in space out of Mercy solar system was the only surviving homunculus. Why was this the only survivor of his race? He had killed his own surviving brothers and sister to give them peace. This man was not alone as he has a friend or two, but his journey won’t end until he wants to.

Statis: system malfunction due to electric storm in unexplored galaxy.

Cause for the storm is unknown

Damaged caused by electric storm fried manual control flight, thruster four disconnected from Savian Energy

Planet detected

creatures inhabiting is unknown

Planet able to be habitable by Arien?

Scanning

Planet’s surface has plant life similar to Mercy’s

Coordinating safe area to land

Done...warning Manual control flight broken.

“I know that Ceria, set the ship to autopilot, land us on that planet, I can’t fly anymore.” An AI that goes by the name of Rios Thomason, he was different than the AI built into the Autumn, a carrier that could be easily be recognized as an Imperial Star Carrier. Why Rios is different compared to the ship’s AI was how he was created by a species called Furvors, a different name to furries on the planet Mercy where Humanity had created the furry species of once digital and imaginary to realistic life coexistence with them. He was in charge of keeping one out of the nine created alive, a creature that man had used the science of alchemy and splicing DNA with others to see the outcome of their creation of making man better than itself and a chance for new security to keep the peace.

“Setting coordinates to land on planet’s surface,” The ship’s AI said as the screen flashed tabs of the ship’s status. Rios was glad the ship was doing what he had asked it to do but he needed to check up on the creature in the cryo chamber. Instead of using the ship’s AI’s hologram displays, set in separate rooms, to appear where the creature was kept he walked his way there to the captain’s quarters where the creature in cryo sleep stayed at. Every room Rios entered the ship's hall holograms would project his anthropomorphic fox form, even going so far as to add detail to what Rios is wearing, a lab coat and pants.

After several minutes of walking through halls to the ship’s elevator, Rios took the elevator to the captain’s quarters. The was made for humanity’s first exploration of space but they never got the chance to venture out of their own solar system due to unfortunate events that happened on Mercy. When the elevator reached the top quarters and the doors open Rios exited out the elevator and unlocked a bio-scanner Palium Crystonian metal, why so much security was needed to keep those wanting in out of the room, how is Rios afraid of Arien, afraid that his amnesia would give someone the advantage of controlling him?

‘What am I kidding you can’t easily control someone, you are not a human Arien…’ When the doors finally opened Rio entered inside the room not paying any mind that the captain’s quarters was not what people would expect it to be, there was no furniture in the room only the cryo chamber across the room with power wires connecting to it and separate monitors that showed different status about the chamber. ‘...You’re a homunculus, one that was seen as a useless project that doesn’t have the abilities to manipulate their own gravity or change their skin to the material they touch, but that what made you special, you did the impossible of fighting species that not even one wearing power armor would go up against.’

Rios laid both his furry cover hologram hands on the glass of the cryo chamber and slid his hands away from each other removing the fog with the heat radiating off of his hologram self. The spot he wiped away revealed a German male behind the glass in a cryo-sleep. The male had dark brown hair that reached down to back of his neck and nearly covered both his eyes if not combed back, fair skin tone, his slim figure could tell everyone who looks at him that he didn’t have many muscles in his body, and the man could easily be sized around six foot and no higher above. This male was the homunculus Rios had been worried about because of this man’s amnesia; a total loss of memory. The AI let out a sigh of relief and sat down beside the chamber his hologram flickered a bit as he looked over his shoulder up at the male. All this was for him to keep him safe, but safe from what exactly is still unknown to him.

The for detail of the man could be explained in small detail of his background, personality, and name. Arien was the project name for war as the human race had feared that the six other security homunculus created for peacekeeping not for war, the two out of the three super soldiers, he wasn’t special other than being the first to be created for war to be nothing more than a hard to kill homunculus having the ability to regenerate anything, but at a cost of some blood. When he dies one of the gem shards would break down into microscopic cells to help regenerate a missing limb, organ, and brain if ever one would take critical damage. He was the only one similar to the first that didn’t have any special ability than his regenerative ability.

An echoing boom filled the halls and caused Rios to stand up, he knew something wrong had happened. Rios reappeared in the pilot’s cockpit through the hologram projector and began to check the monitor of what had happened. One of the ship’s right-wing thruster had blown up and caused a miniature EMP shutting off power in the right side of the ship cutting off life support and disabling the ship’s Flash Space Core (FSC). The last thrust wasn’t enough to help prevent them from crashing into the planet’s continental crust; however, Rios had a plan.

“Ceria sent landing zone on a snowy region and prepare to reserve all power to the captain’s quarters.” Rios glanced out the window to see the planet they would crash land in, it was different than Mercy most of the planet looked as if about sixty-three percent of it was covered in water as the rest was land. His plan for the changing landing zone to a snowy region was because how it won’t inflict much damage to the ship’s hall and wings, but the gamble of not having one of the wings tore off when they enter the atmosphere of the planet. Turning his gaze away from the window Rios sat in the pilot’s seat and gaze at the monitors by him.

Coordinates changed

Detected Tundra region full of snow in the Northern Hemisphere

Auto-Pilot now heading to new coordinates

Just like that, the ship changed its course changed, the main thrusting tilted down a bit so that the ship would be at the perfect angle for when they reach the planet’s atmosphere. The metal the ship was made out of would survive the immense heat, but the wind pressure would find a way to tear off a wing of the disabled thruster before they even make it through the atmosphere. Ceria was now the only thing that can pilot the ship due to her being the ship’s AI than Rios and having more knowledge in flying and landing than him.

While all of this was happening in space inside the mind of Arien was him staring off at the storm clouds above him but he wasn’t German, instead, he was a British soldier. The planet his mind was set on was Earth, in the galaxy’s Milky Way, he doesn’t know why he was like this nor does he know he’s a German, to begin with. His amnesia had made him forget everything about himself when he was created, race, language, and his own name; all was forgotten.

Arien was afraid, why was he afraid was because of the gunfire he hears around him; his own battalion and the German soldiers. This man doesn’t know anything about killing or knows how to use his own Lee-Enfield .303 rifle. Tears formed in his eyes as a man, shot dead by a German soldier, landed in front of him with his lifeless eyes staring at Arien’s, again he did not know what it is like to kill or see something die in front of him all of this was alien to him. The man began to cry for the loss of the soldier’s life.

“Private!” Arien snapped his full attention to a British Lieutenant. The man’s face was blurry with no face, why it was like that was because how Arien’s memory blurred out everyone’s face. “Get your ass into gear!”

The private just sat there shaking in his boots, he couldn’t move his body from how the emotional breakdown he was having. Arien’s lieutenant calmly walked over to him like the war was nothing but an ordinary day for him. He clamps both his on Arien’s shoulder and forced the man to look at him the eyes despite them being blurry Arien could make out the lieutenant's green eyes.

“Listen private, I know you did not expect so many of our friends to die in the past and are still dying today as you sit here allowing, you and others had volunteered to protect our country from these German bastards!” He yells at him. Arien was still unsure if he even had the will to fight for Britain, but the man’s words caused the young man to nod his head. “Good, now listen here this may be your last time on Earth but I want to make sure all my men under “my” command knows this…” The Lieutenant retracted his hands and stood tall with seriousness shining within his eyes. “...If you do not stand and fight then more people will die because of your actions, and soon it may be the entire Kingdom because of you being scared of war, do you want that to be the one thing that everyone in Britain to remember?”

“No sir!” Arien didn’t say that he didn’t even think of saying that it just blurted out like he someone else speaking for him. Rising up from the mud and standing strong with his rifle in hand Arien stared at his lieutenant.

“Then go out there and help win this war for the United Kingdom, revenging every soul that had died here!” With that Arien bolted off, running through the trenches to the front lines where riflemen and machine gunners held their post from any invading infantry. Every negative emotion that ran through the mind of this man was all gone like magic. This war Arien found himself needed him, he doesn’t know why but it was beckoning him to stand and fight for these men as if the words of the lieutenant gave him the courage to kill any German that dares tries to make a charge to the Britain’s trenches and also the preparations to die for his Country.

‘What is happening to me!? Why am I...why am I no longer scared?’ Arien thought as he made it to the frontlines behind a pile of sandbags with the rifle’s barrel slightly centimeters above them. His hands were trembling, was it from the adrenaline coursing through his body or was it because of shock when a bullet wits past his head mere inches away from killing him. The next thing he knew every soldier in the front line fired like cannons boom in the distance when shot. Screams of men in agony and gunshots filling the atmosphere of the battle happening now, Arien didn’t know what to do next his finger rested on the trigger as a German soldier was charging towards him.

The other men around firing at the wave of German soldiers didn’t pay any attention to the one charging through the mud to Arien, not a single one paid attention to that one man as if they were doing this on purpose to force Arien to kill. Twenty meters away from the trench Arien fumbles with his rifle’s bolt before aiming down his sights at the man. Pulling the trigger the gun recoils back slamming against his right shoulder and lifting the rifle up in the air, but it was a miss. Arien lifted up the bolt and pulled back emptying the chamber of the used bullet then pushed the bolt forward loading in a new bullet before pulling down the bolt into safety. He aimed again trying to get the iron sights lined up with the soldier’s body and fired. The soldier tumbled from the impact of the bullet and fell in the mud.

At first, Arien thought the soldier he shot was dead but when he got back to his feet he reloaded his rifle again and aimed down the sights. He didn’t know where else to shoot, the body was the second shot he made and the results were the German surviving the hit, so he aimed lower around the waist. Firing the third shot it connected with the soldier’s hip and lodged itself in his hip bone. The agonizing scream coming from the down German, he held the side of his hips with both of his hands. His screams send a shiver down Arien’s spine of how that man’s screaming would give him nightmares as long as he lives.

“Please, just stop…” Arien’s grip on the gun tightens as the man continues to scream his lungs out. “...STOP SCREAMING!!!” Taking aim and firing without any hesitation he ended the man’s life in a split second. All was silent everything was frozen as if time has been stopped. This war that Arien does not know of was starting to take more effect than hearing the screams and seeing soldiers in the trench, his first time taking a life from someone, killing that one man he doesn’t know of.

“W-what have I done?” The man dropped his rifle and dropped to his knees all the emotions of taking a life of another. He turned his head to the left and saw something surprising that made him question his sanity, a true blue coated horse with wings and a horn. Both of them stared at each other one filled with emotions as the other total shock of what they witnessed.

Soon the lieutenant came around the corner of the trench and pulled Arien up to his feet with a smile on his lips, or what looked like one from how blurry his face was. “Good work private,” He said sounding delighted of seeing one of the many volunteers finally killed an enemy of the Kingdom and did what he was supposed to do. “The charge they did won’t happen again for a while.” Arien smiled knowing that he won’t have to kill anyone soon, but he still feels shaken up by taking a life.

Without anything else to say the Lieutenant left him there having multiple negative emotions happening at once, but why he didn’t break down in crying again or curled up is that blue horse he saw was still staring at him. At first, he thought the others could see the horse until one of the soldiers ran through her like she wasn’t there at all. Now curious about what the horse was Arien walked towards it but stopped as his vision began to darken and his eyes felt heavy. He leaned up against the mud wall struggling to stay awake before falling forward.

Luna galloped to the fallen man and looked over at him, she pushed him over onto his back to have the better look at him. This man was the first she saw that the face wasn’t blurred out like the others around, but she noticed something happening in front of her the man began to faint before disappearing in front of her. With the man no longer there the whole dream began to fade into white as well flattening the land and erasing everything around. Luna sigh in disappointment as for how the man was now awake and no longer dreaming to show her more of the experience he had in this war, but she didn’t know that he did not take part of this war at all. She wanted to know the reason for this dream was it a disagreement between two kingdoms or was it something else that she did not know of?

“Hmmm,” Luna sat down and placed a hoof under her chin as she began to think. “This Private, we do not believe I have ever seen this species before or even known about a war that as many lives lost. The weapons they used, if they could truly kill somepony from a distance and so quick then we must find the Private and talk with him, but we could not find where he slept; however, he has to be close to Three Tribes’ border in order for us to visit his dreams.” With that thought she stands up on all fours and opened a door to the dream realm seeing how she visited this man’s dream she could find him again and try to have a word with him, but could she try and find out where he was at in land? Closing the door behind her Luna continued her duties of keeping everypony’s dream safe from nightmares, though she would have to notify her sister of the presence of the man’s species and how dangerous they could be.

Author's Note

This is my first time writing a story. I hope you enjoy, but if you find some mistakes then comment down below and have the sentence highlighted so I know where to find that mistake.

(Art is still being worked on)

Chapter 1: Out of bed into the Unknown (Unedited)

Author's Note

Um...not entirely sure if some people read this story, but same goes with the first chapter. If you find a mistake comment down and have the sentence with it so I know where to look for.

Character Arien and Rios being drawn after art cover are done.

Chapter 1: Out of bed into the Unknown (Unedited)

Chapter 1: Out of bed into the Unknown

My body jerks forwards nearly slamming against the glass if it weren’t for straps binding me in the tube I’m stuck in. I didn’t know where I was or how I ended up in this tube from a war between people and that blue horse in the trenches with me to a tube with my body freezing and only piece of clothing was my boxer briefs. The glass was foggy but I could make out what was behind it. On the other side of the glass was a room with machines on both sides of the room with wires leading to my direction, on the far end was a door of some kind that was close with blaring red light flashing across the room, but there was no sound. I struggle against my binding trying to get my arms out from under the straps but it no use as each time I try pulling them out the strap would scratch my skin slowly cutting me.

Questions began to pop up of how I ended up here from being in the middle of a battle and passing out from stress or something to here in some type of tube being strapped down against my own will with red blaring lights flashing by outside. Did that horse I saw in the trench do this to me when I started heading in its direction? I leaned my head back and took a deep breath before breathing it out. Stuck in here with no way out I looked down at my body and noticed a small switch a few centimeters away from my right hand. Would this switch do something about the straps if so then it wouldn’t hurt to try and flip it?

Stretching my fingers out at the switch the tip of my middle finger skid on the round surface of the metal. My hand felt like it was hovering a candle’s flame burning from straining my muscles to their limits. When the same finger skid the tip of the switch again I went over my limit of reach causing my wrist to pop as well flipping the switch. The straps binding me unlocked themselves and slid back to wherever they came from giving me the freedom to move around a bit.

“I see you’re awake” I screamed and slammed the back of my head against something hard on instinct I clutch the spot with both my hands before rubbing the spot. “Still memoryless, I should have approached with caution but...NOW IS NOT THE TIME!” A pair of hand wiped away the foggy glass showing the owner of the hands being some glowing bipedal fox wearing a lab coat and pants, his expression was one of anger as he didn’t seem to be in a good mood. “You see the lever above you?” I lowered my arms and looked up to see the lever between the glass and metal. I nodded to him confirming that I see it. “Pull it!”

Grasping the lever with my right I gave it with all the strength I had in my body but it wouldn’t budge a bit. Was it stuck? I grasped the lever with my left and found it easier pull it. The tube I was in let out a hiss causing me to jump a bit at the sound. No later than a second the glass lifted up allowing me to see everything perfectly than looking through the foggy glass.

“Who are you?” I asked. I grasped the edges and pulled myself out of the tube with my eyes glued to the fox.

“Someone you should listen for your survival,” He said sounding a bit intimidating. Survival, what does he mean by that am I in danger or is he going to give me some advice? The fox pointed to my right and spoke again. “There’s an X16 tri-burst assault rifle on your right, pick it up and talk to me again, I’ll tell you your own name and explain the situation you are in.”

With that, the fox walks off to one of the machines by the walls. I looked over to my right to see the X16 tri-burst assault rifle he told me about, I walked over to the weapon and picked it up. The weapon felt like as if the whole material the gun was made out of didn’t weigh more than five pounds this whole rifle looked different than the one I used in the trenches when I shot...him. My grip on the gun tighten as the memory of killing that one German soldier in the battlefield, I still didn’t know what came over me when I shot him to stop him from screaming anymore. Shaking the memory out of my head I adjusted the rifle similar to mine in the battlefield the stock resting below my armpit as well my left hand on the forestock for better a grip. I don’t know what a tri-burst mean but if it’s better than the bolt rifle I had in the battlefield then that’s good.

Looking down at my appearance I just remember that I wasn’t wearing anything other than my boxer briefs. I felt embarrassed about having someone, I don’t know of, seeing me like. I used the side of the gun to cover my crotch which caught the fox’s attention to me.

*Sighs* “You don’t have to be embarrassed in front of an AI, we don’t care if you run around naked screaming, “I’m gay and I love it,” The fox mocked. I couldn’t help but growl at him for that, but someone was not right my growl sounded like a wolf than what an ordinary man could make. What is happening to me? “Now you got something to defend yourself with, I can begin. Your name is Arien, that’s all you need to know, for now, the situation you are in is one of life and death. I already know you shot a gun and familiar how one works, but the one you are holding is completely different is that it holds more than ten .303 rounds it has around thirty-two 5.56mm rounds in the cartridge, a target tracker if you had an aim assist visor but seeing you don’t have one I won’t go into deta-”

“Life forms detected in the ship’s core, requiring personnel to deal with the problem.” A woman’s voice said causing the fox to scowl and look up over his shoulder. I saw his mouth move but I didn’t hear him say anything.

“Forget everything,” The fox said and turned his attention to me, he now had a serious expression. “Arien, you go down into the ship’s core and deal with the problem, if whatever it is down there damages the core this ship will cause a massive explosion in 21 by 21 kilometer.” He turned around and tapped on the machine causing it to let out a soft hum before something above me opened. I looked up to see a smaller machine floating down from the opening by my side, the machine was a shape of a sphere before the top opened up with the head leaned forward, four blue of it’s eyes glowed blue, two pieces of the sphere moved up by the sides of the eyes, two arms protruded from the missing sides of the sphere looking like two twelve inch pipes together on each side with three square fingers, underneath the sphere bend in the machine with blue mist coming out of it.

“This is Jack, he is the only engineer drone that will help you repair any damage done within the ship and also unlock any doors for you.” The fox smiled as the drone beeped. What is actually going on here, was I in the same year fighting against the Germans or was it all a dream? I turned my attention back to the two. “Now begone, I’ll have Ceria activate certain cameras in the ship but the rest of the ship except the Core room and this room will have power.”

“Can I have at least some clothes?”

“No, you got a job to do.” I groan in disappointment and walked to the door, having to fight in nothing than my boxer briefs. Jack, the drone, flies by me and unlocks the door for me before we exited out of the room. After we entered the room the door behind us close leaving Jack and me in the hall with barely any lights.

One of Jack’s eyes brighten up and shined through the hall like a flashlight. He let out a few beeps before flying past me to another door at the other end of the hall but when he made it to the other side he lowered himself closer to the floor and pulled up a panel. I jogged to the drone and saw that the panel he opened had a ladder going down. This drone must have known this place like the back of his hand...actually does he have hands other than three fingers? I held my gun with my left as I began to climb down the ladder to where it leads to.

The metallic sound echoed through the small space as I climbed down the ladder, but while I was climbing Jack kept his light shining down at me as I climb. When I reached the end of the ladder I settled my rifle back with my finger on the trigger before Jack came down shining the light in a narrow passageway with red lights behind pipes. This would be a great advantage for standing your ground when something is charging after you.

Jack shined the light over my shoulder as we began to walk through the narrow passageway. The sound of my footsteps against the metal surface echoed throughout the narrow passage before I came to a halt. In front of me was a loose panel that lead to another room or to another narrow passageway, I held my rifle by the hand with my right hand as I rested the rifle against my shoulder and pushed the panel with my other hand causing the flat metal to fall forward making a loud thud with an echo. If this wasn’t creepy enough then the sparks from the wires hanging around wouldn’t have been needed.

“Arien.”

“AHHHH!” I jumped and looked up at the red light near the ceiling in the other room. I swear this would be the death of me if there was something around us.

*Sigh* “You’re near the ship’s core and I managed to activate the camera in the room, to tell you the truth there are four unknown predator species. Take them out and protect Jack while he commences repairs.” Where was his voice coming from? It couldn’t be from that red light near the ceiling the other room, right?

I felt Jack give me a nudge on the back before we entered in a bigger room. Everything in here was dark if it weren’t for the wires hanging from the torn panels above creating sparks then I would have relied on Jack’s light more often. My feet were burning from how cold the metal floor was and the cold breeze coming from somewhere didn’t help either. This time I followed Jack’s lead to a closed door, he let out a few beeps before he ripped out something by the door and began to mess with the wires sticking out.

As Jack continues to mess with the wires I started to think to myself. What is happening!? Why am I here and how can I know this is all real!? Also what is making Jack fly, does he have something holding him up? Jack a machine that Rios calls a drone, what is this little guy’s purpose? After two thoughts the door opened up with Jack making a happy beep. I readied my rifle and took a step in the room.

The whole room was freezing as if we were in the frigid cold when it snows. Something wasn’t right a room like this can’t really get too cold, can it? Something in the room ran behind us causing Jack and me to turn around to see nothing but when I turned back something pounced me, the rifle in my hand was sent flying out of my grip away from my reach. I looked at the thing on top of me and held my left arm over my face just in time when the thing’s jaws clamped down on my arm, but I didn’t feel pain. I screamed as the thing having my arm in its mouth was an icy blue wolf that looks as if it were actually made out of cold ice with mist radiating off of it. The wolf shook its head trying to rip my arm from the socket, I punched the thing off of me causing it to tumble over to a railing giving me enough time to crawl back to my rifle and picked it up just in time to see the wolf stand back up.

I aimed down the sights and fired once killing the wolf and also shattering it into chunks of ice, but I didn’t expect the recoil of the gun to send the stock slamming into my shoulder. After the wolf was dead I lowered my weapon and rubbed the spot where the stock had slammed into my shoulder. Rio didn’t say anything about the recoil this weapon had hell the Lee-Enfield didn’t have much recoil! My skin crawled as a loud static sounded above me.

“You got company! Two small, one big seems to be the alpha of this pack!” Three wolves rounded a corner ahead of us, two were the same size as the first I had killed but the bigger one had darker blue symbols up its legs and stopped just below a dog’s shoulder. I glanced at my gun and looked back up at the wolves before firing a hail of bullets.

/Rios’ POV\

Power had been restored to the whole ship, Ceria was able to find a way how the wolves managed to enter the ship. Turns out there was a breach in the ship’s cargo hold one of the walls managed to burst open letting in cold air and snow inside the ship luckily Jack would be able to repair the breach. Arien did well despite not remembering how to hold that X16 and reloading the rifle at least he managed to deal with the wolves without having to panic much and being confident on the thought of killing animals than intelligent life. I just wish he didn’t pay attention to his left arm he’s not ready to face the fact of his left arm. He needs to be more ready for the truth and the simulations would help him if he follows through. The basic of killing is in world war I when Earth in the milky way part of the galaxy had the Germans invaded lands and caused France and Britain to create the trench war between them. I prefer not to go into detail of small things that don't matter to us.

The wolves Arien had encounter weren’t so different than the apocalypse wolves back on Mercy where man had rebirth the Direwolf species and experiment them with different types of natural elements that in the old era they would call the elements fire, ice, wind, earth, and other things that people made in cartoon where the protagonist can bend elements. I truly do remember that Arien had faced one of these beasts but didn’t show any hesitation on fighting back only a bit of shock after seeing his first apocalypse animal. Mercy the one planet where Arien and I were created but now nothing more than a place of destruction and distrust as a man, furvors, scales, machine, infected, and apocalyptics; pretty much a planet always under fighting with barely any rest. I was amazed how Arien was able to handle such quick change of exiting out of a lab to surviving on the surface of Mercy doing jobs by being what they all call him, “Crysis” a name I have to say that barely fits him but didn’t bother him at all.

“Ceria, does the ship has enough fuel to launch off into space?” I asked as I checked the security camera. Arien and Jack were in the cargo hold repairing the breached, well Jack actually Arien was just exploring around keeping distance close to the drone. Jack used to be a scrap drone from one of the machine’s army but after being repaired and a hard drive installed he’s now our engineer for us.

“Negative, ship’s fuel has depleted after using the main thruster to prevent more critical damage to the ship as it already is,” Ceria said. This was troubling and the situation we were in didn’t help either. I don’t know if this planet has any Element Zero in the crust or in any of the meteors floating in this solar system; rare full that could last a ship a decade in flight.

“Then I have no choice but to send Arien outside to find at least two gallons of Element Zero just to get enough fuel for the ship to wander around the solar system for any more of that priceless element gas, but if he cannot find any then this ship will have to become a bunker.” Why a bunker is because we can’t let out technology fall into primitive hands as they would fall into the wrong hands and that Arien could at least a place to live and to continue with his simulation. I traveled through the ship’s circuits to one of the hologram projectors in the cargo hold to have a word with Arien.

/Third POV\
\Somewhere else/

“Luna, we do not have time to thither to this “Private’s” race as it would be a waste of time from whence this “Private” is at!” Celestia made it clear to Luna that she does not what to go on a wild goose chase on finding this new race near the border of the three tribes, but Luna persisted that they must at least investigate it just in case. How both sisters under the statue of their mother are arguing about the idea. Luna wanted to make sure that their subjects were not in danger of a new neighboring race near the border of the land, but again her sister declines that thought and threw it out the window.

“Fine, thou sister has won at this but if this being is dangerous to our subject then we were right to be wary of this creature’s present!” With that Luna exited out of the room on her own. The princess of the day just shook her head at how childish her younger sister has become as she must have seen somepony’s nightmare of a new race taking over. Luna was young and she hadn’t reached a thousand years she’s only 659 years old and that Luna is still mastering her alicorn powers as well getting into the habit of entering a pony’s dream without being seen by them as it is still not their time yet to unite the ponies, their mother had said. If they were to be united under a single flag and a ruler then they must do it their own and learn something they don’t even know yet.

“Mother, whatever you have planned for the ponies to unite with each other and forget all the difference between their race please make sure Luna learns more of her gifts when years go by, she is young but still acts like a child when nothing dangerous is happening,” Celestia prayed in her mother’s name as she resumes her training of high concentration magic that High Mages would consider nearly impossible to master. While she trained alone her sister in another room was staring out at the land they would soon be rulers of.

The young alicorn had only been able to see in other dreams and nightmares for the first hundred years after turning five hundred, but even with so many years of living as a young mare she still is trying to handle magic that she does not know of and how to handle the magic she is gifted. She only saw her mother for the first three hundred years of her life before their mother had disappeared mysteriously only leaving them in the care of a few trusted ponies who would put their differences away. These few ponies had abandoned their tribes to these two young goddesses, but the number of ponies was around a hundred enough to have guards, mages, soldiers, and few citizens.

‘Why does Tia not believe in me that the creatures we saw in “Private’s” dream were a real threat to not avoid!” Luna mentally screamed as she fell face first in her pillows with her flank in the air. She woke in the early morning when her sister usually wakes but not her, she would awaken near noon when the sun was high in the sky. Three tries she did just to convince her sister that there was a threat that cannot be ignored all three failed to make her sister see. Maybe she could do something herself, she could possibly try to find the “Private’s” dream and find out where near the borders of the three tribes they were at, but she would have to lie that she was going around the tribes’ border to see if anything different happened.

Letting her side fall on the bed Luna’s royal blue strands of hair covered her right eye as she stared off into space before falling asleep.

/Arien’s POV\
\Location: Fallen ship; Uriel/

The drone repairing the hole in the metal let out beeps either high pitch sound like a whistle or a low monotone beep. I can’t really understand a single thing Jack was saying has I don’t have the knowledge of what his beeps mean. What’s worse is that I’m starting to freeze and being nearly naked didn’t help a single bit as my toes felt numb and my breathing could be seen every time I let out a breath of hot air. We weren’t something warm since that was obvious but I can’t help but wonder why to send me out in a cold ship that I have a higher chance of losing my feet from frostbite.

“I see that the hole is fixed.” I snapped my head in the direction of Rios’ voice to see him walking over to Jack, who happily beeped. “Arien,” He called out turning his head a bit. “It’s time we get you some clothes you have a mission to do and it truly depends on you to succeed.”

“Finally!” I smiled knowing that I’ll have clothes to cover me up and keep me warm than freezing, but my smile turned to a frown. “Mission?”

Rios gestured me to follow as he walked with Jack back to the halls; of course, I followed him. We walked through the halls to one door particular different with big words on a black box saying, “ARMORY” with big letters. The opened revealing a regular square room with three different decorations at the other side of the room making look as if this room wasn’t an armory but a trap for fooling the enemy.

What kind of room would be considered an armory if there weren’t any guns or military uniform? I guess Rios had something in mind when he entered the room gesturing to the three decorations.

“These two on either side of the armory are workbenches, one for weapons as the other for armor, clothes, and even cloth decorations…” Rios gestured to the two workbenches, the first one looked like a black rectangle box sitting on a stand that looks like it could be open by the middle as the other looked like three flat black panels with a rectangle object that with the same cut line int middle and sides as the workbench. “...The one in the middle where all your equipment will be stored and can easily equip full body armor onto you and take them off at your command…” I don’t really under what he fully means but if it has to do with me crafting my own equipment then that’s a problem. “...Sadly the damn thing doesn’t have any armor and weapons in it, only the X16 you carry now is the only weapon you have, but you’re gonna have to leave that behind.”

“WHAT?” I glared at Rios for that thought of taking the only weapon I have to defend myself.

“BEFORE you try yelling, the weapon workbench has a blueprint in it, “ Rios said as he turned around, but before he left the room he spoke once more. “ After that go to the forge, it’ll make the clothing and armor for you. Once you are done come to the ship’s pilot’s cockpit.”

He finally walked away with no sound of his footsteps echoing in the halls like an actual human...I almost forgot he isn’t human or has a physical body. Taking his word I went over to the “Weapon Workbench” and looked over it. Like I saw when it was introduced it had a line cutting down the middle and goes down the side then stops it vertical line to a horizontal line all the way to the corner before coming to an end. Not sure how to operate this thing I did what most would have done if they were clueless how to operate this bench.

Touching the smooth surface of metal my hands slide along the metal until I felt a bump. The bump I felt was a button that would be near impossible to see with the naked eye since how well it blends in with the color and surface but hey doesn’t hurt to push a button. Just like that, I pressed my thumb on the mechanism to jump back in surprise of it opening up revealing multiple lights in it and some mechanical parts in it that I can’t really name. Suddenly green light emitted from the machine showing the Lee-Enfield with other lines coming from the gun like a diagram of the weapon. On one of the panels showed a text saying, “10 iron ingots, 5 wood, 2 oil, and 2 steel ingots.” The ammo for it required 1 gunpowder, 1 brass, 1 copper.

“So, do I say yes?” I didn’t have the knowledge of how to operate this machine, but seeing the word “craft” below the Lee-Enfield was pretty obvious of what to do. “Craft?” No luck, even when said the weapon workbench didn’t work. How does one operate the machine if they no experience with this type of machinery!

I touch the word craft with the distal phalanx of my index and middle finger causing the workbench to hum as lights inside the machine emitted out on the rifle, but as soon the light traveled down wood began to appear making the stock and other parts of the Lee-Enfield. Astonished at how this thing managed to make wood out of light I looked closer to see small squares, barely visible to the naked eye, going up and turning into wood. What a marvelous thing that light can create a weapon with small glass like cubes to materials that are needed to make the actual rifle.

‘Does the forger do that too?’ I thought and jogged over to the machine and felt around the surface until I find the same button on it. Finding the button and turning it on the machine came to life with the lid opening apart and lowering down to the sides. Something inside it rose up with a three-row of shelf racks and moved to the side of the Forger. The middle panel brighten up with cyan glow and showed a naked faceless man, well not fully naked he had his underwear, with six lines coming off of him with a blank line, the others on the side did the same thing but show something different both saying, “Soviet Union Military Winter Uniform.” Of course, being the one who just has small amount experience with this thing I tap both my index and middle finger on it causing the Forger to show winter clothes with a hammer and cycle on the right breast of the coat.

Materials required; 22 cloth, 25 wool, 6 hide, 1 red dye and 1 yellow dye

Do you wish to craft

Pushing craft the Forger went to work doing the same thing as the Weapon workbench. When the sound of a ding came from the workbench I stride over to the machine to see the Lee-Enfield resting against the light surface of the workbench. Didn’t take long for the rifle to be crafted and seeing that the machine no longer shined on it meant it was done creating my rifle. Grasping the forestock with my left I lift it close to me and pulled the bolt back. The rifle was empty having not a single .303 bullet, the workbench did show me the option of crafting ammunition for the gun meaning that I might have the right amount resources to craft around hopefully sixty rounds.

“How the hell am I supposed to hide sixty magazines in this coat if it can only hold fifteen in each pocket!?” I struggled to find a way to put the other thirty magazines fill with .303 cartridges, I didn’t expect the workbench to craft a whole magazine full of bullets if I did then I would have craft thirty instead of sixty! The coat only has three pockets in it and the gloves barely do shit to get a hold on the buttons on this damn clothing, but hey, at least I’m warm and armed with a gun I’m familiar with. Thankfully the coat came with a rifle holster making it easy to carry the Lee-Enfield, but not the X16.

Speaking of the X16 I put it in storage where Rios had pointed at that middle machine, turns out if you enter in it the thing closes behind you trapping you in a metal cylinder with four different panels. I pressed a random word on one of the panels and a pair of metal limbs took the X16 and carried it into the ceiling of the cylinder before it opened up. When I came out of the thing one of the walls turned transparent showing me the X16 and the description of the rifle; of course, being of the gun’s background I read it and thought of making a small journal of the guns I crafted or armor forged...if I knew how to write that is.

I’m still in trouble of trying to place the thirty extra magazines as the storage only stores equipment, not bullets and magazines. Being so desperate I placed them on the side of the workbench and rushed out of the room to where Rios was in the pilot’s cockpit.

This whole place is like a miniature maze getting lost in random halls of metal until Jack found me wandering the halls clueless. The drone was kindness, not sure if it was built in his machine brain, and led to where Rios was at.

“Took you long enough,” The fox bastard said sounding like a smart ass. How was I suppose to navigate through this ship he calls to find this fucking room, even if I had a map of this place!

“Fuck off, you didn’t tell me how to get here!” I retorted back, but I seemed to make Rios smirk. Not saying that a fox is a clever bastard but they are fucking devious ones at that from how he’s acting so calmly and making me blow off my steam. “Could you at least give me a map so that I can find out where you’re at?”

“Hmm, why a map when you got Jack...” Ooh, now I want to smack upside the head. “...but enough small talk…” Rios turned his back against me and fiddled with whatever he’s touch in front of him causing the windows behind him to brighten up showing a snowstorm and snowy lands that goes on for miles. “...Ceria detected some Element Zero, I want you to take Jack around since he has a built-in detector of finding unusual radiation from different types of elements that gives of any type of radiation whether it be harmless or deadly. Out in the snowstorm is some Element Zero around the ship, you dig for the element with your hands and once you see a blue glow back away and let Jack do his work. “

I nod my head and turned around, but before I could Rios spoke one more time that caused me to stop.

“I’m surprised you’re not asking questions.”

“...” I stayed silent realizing that all this time other than waking up I hadn’t asked him a single question of who I am and how I ended up here. I turned back and faced Rios. There was an urge in the back of my head demanding not to say anything but I ignored that urge. “Who am I fully?”

Rios just sighed and turned the seat to him before sitting down. He crossed his right leg over his left and folded his hand making him look like a professional with the lab coat he has on.

“Your full name is Arien, as for the last name that’s for you to decide. You are around twenty-four years old just the right age to marry someone, created for the purpose of war if one ever broke out which it did two hundred years ago. German, brown eyes, dark brown hair that needs to be cut again, lost some muscles from a four pack to just a skinny body with only barely any pecs, six foot three inches, healthy, immune to multiple viruses but still able to catch some disease until your body itself gets rid of it, and not a human.” Rios leaned back against his seat and stared down at me with those silver eyes. Not human. Was the battle in the trenches fake or a memory? What am I then, a creature that Rios doesn’t know or something worse!? “For what you are. You’re a homunculus, a created genetic being that has microscopic nanites able to heal most of your wounds from third-degree burns to a slit throat, three rebirth gem shards, and last but not least amnesia.”

“Say what?”

“You have amnesia.” Soaking up all the information of who and what I am, but the last part least me wondering what caused my amnesia? Did something with enough force to hit me on the side of the head caused the amnesia or was there something else that caused it? The question began to pop more than what knowing who and what I am, but the good news is at least I know some about myself.

“I’m gonna go and collect the Element Zero.” I walked out of the room with Jack following close behind.

Chapter 2: Beginning of new (unedited)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Journal Entry 1

Entry 1
March 8th
Arien’s journal

It’s been two whole weeks after first waking up from cryo-sleep. I haven’t discovered much of the technology on this ship but I now know the better vocabulary, how to write, speak in two different languages, and craft. This life of mine is what I have expected to be a curse at the beginning when I first experienced killing and war, this experience made me feel comfortable with killing and facing death. I didn’t have any memories of my past show up in my dream as if Luna was the one responsible of piecing a small fragment of my memories together as if it were like a jigsaw puzzle, but with me needing someone to help me out on finding out where these pieces go. I only thought of my existence was some kind of twisted joke as for how I’m a created being for some purpose in war. Whatever that war didn't actually ignited its own flames and send the rockets to whatever enemy it was for. I’m still trying to piece that one memory to now but that is impossible as now I’m just going into different simulations in old wars, not that I mind as it helps me cope with taking another life even if it weren’t real it was done by your choice and that blood in the simulations is on your hands whether you want to believe it or not.

Weapons, I learn how to use manual craft if I ever wanted to make a blueprint of any weapons from the simulations, but of course, some of the weapons I picked up from the simulations get instantly scanned and sent to the workbench on constructing the blueprints of that weapon. I do like the manual craft because how to craft your own personal weapons and becoming the owner of that crafted weapon gives me joy. Joy in what? Being the maker of that weapon; however, I am not really talented on crafted weapons in primitive ways but I’ll learn. About six guns are in the weapon locker with backgrounds of the day they were first thought and created, ammunition they use, and the history of them. Clothes and armor, they were difficult to think of since the Forger was more complicated than the workbench, I needed some type of diagram, a drawing, to at least have it scanned so that the forger would allow me to tweet with the armor or clothing. One winter clothes and one chest plate were in the “Quick Equip”, I didn’t make up that name, one had the German’s steel chest plate for protection against blades and other ranged weapons that don't have the capability of piercing three fourths thick of steel. That was just the armor as for the winter clothes was the german’s winter coat. I’m not entirely sure about the German history but at least I have some fashion that belongs to my people...well what I was created to resemble.

The status of the Uriel was still going under repairs something about missing high-class circuits and a thruster combustion. Jack, that little buddy of mine, is still one strange little drone as he hovers around the ship keeping Rios and me company as if he wanted to talk a bit. Luckily I managed to quote and unquote “figure out his language” to know what he’s actually saying every time he speaks. I swear I am turning into a robot by understanding what he is saying. The little guy is starting to grow on me, well not literally, but emotionally as I feel like he’s part of a family that I don’t exactly remember and that goes with Rios. Though going to space would sound fun, I wonder if there are any alien spaceship flying over the planet?

Luna has rarely visited the past three weeks, she either arrives in my dreams or when I’m in a middle of a simulation. She’s something to say as being a native of this planet, which I still don’t really know this planet's name yet. That woman mare, is a mystery as we speak in the same language English. I can’t really imagine another planet speaking in any of the languages written in words and spoken in other countries if there were some then having communications with an alien race would be easy to negotiate something. I can’t really say that Luna is a master at her ability to visit dreams seeing how she’s stressed out every time we met, but thankfully she sometimes releases her stress on watching a fight in simulations of various wars, four by the way, and the small chat we have.

I only know so little about the princess, how she’s just protecting her subject’s dreams from nightmares. I’m gonna go much detail of what she meant of protecting her subjects of these nightmares as I don’t truly understand it myself, but at least I can count her as a friend...maybe. Our conversation would start out small saying hi and how one another is doing until we start talking more and more about the things we are going through as that’s how friends start out, right? Enough of writing about something I know rarely of.

Rios, where do I begin? He’s much different than the one in I saw in my memory, he doesn’t act like a timid person. No, he much more different and I’m not saying that because how big he is compared to the memory. I’m saying because he acts more like a leader that had witness people dying in front of him and had fought in a war that he knows of and doesn’t show a slight hint of anger or joy as if he killed his emotions. I wondered what happened that caused him to be this way. He knows more about me than I do myself, but I don’t know anything about him other than what I can see and guess what type of person he is.

Maybe there might be a day in this week where we get to talk a bit other than being ordered around. Just wondered if our talk would get me to know him more than knowing nothing about him. I can tell he cares about me as he asked if I was okay after a simulation of experiencing another cold war or small battle. This I can tell by the tone of his voice that he must have at least cared and that was the only time he ever asks and show only one emotion, I don’t really care if it was just one it meant that he can at least show more if I got to know him.

If things go well in different simulations then hopefully, I can at least speak with him. Just having Rios open up to me and talking instead of looking at the monitor screen every day in the hours that go by. If this keeps up then he’ll be nothing more than a stranger to me, and I don’t believe he wants that. I know he has a responsibility of watching over the ship but Ceria can handle that with Jack, all we need is a new thruster combustion and if I can find a blueprint of one then we would have this problem dealt with.

I already got done with a simulation of Russia, the Soviet Union claiming Russia away from German soldiers after they had captured Moscow. Using the PPD-40 was my favorite submachine gun as held more bullets and the fire rate of the gun helped me out in close quarters, but the spray it had made it go to the bottom of my favorite as aiming the thing was difficult you have to try and burst fire the gun if you ever want accuracy. That was one of the guns I made out from the workbench. I can’t craft any more weapons, unfortunately, we’re nearly out of resources and that I have to go around and try to gather the materials or else I’ll be using sticks and stones to use for weapons.

Pickaxe and axe, the simplest tools to mine and chop with. I haven’t found any caves around the area to mine minerals and ores, and same goes for wood there wasn’t a single tree in this snowy terrain. The only option, in this case, is to travel farther away from the ship. If there aren’t any trees in three miles then I have to stop crafting and travel away from the ship to another land, one that is not covered in snow, and has mountains and trees!

FOOD! I forget to mention my food and water source. Food is terrible it looked like a pile of pink slime and it wiggles every time you poke it with a fork! Like how the hell am I supposed to eat this shit if it just slides between my teeth every time I chew it, I learned the hard way that I was supposed to drink it in a cup with a straw. Rios said, “The the slime has the nutrients you needed to survive, but finding water won’t be difficult as we are in a snowy terrain as long you don’t pick any colored snow.” Still, dislike the pink slime.

Outside the ship the snow storm is still going, I still have to wear a winter coat whenever I leave the ship. I managed to search around the area for any parts that may have fallen off the ship when it crashed landed, the things I found were burnt metal panels, circuit boards, and few scraps of metal in perfect conditions. Of course, I wanted to keep myself from crafting any more stuff so I gave the parts I found to Jack, so he can continue with the repairs on the thruster. I can’t say for sure that there is any life out in the cold other than the Frost wolves, I can’t say for sure again that I’m the only intelligent one wondering around. Wish I was, in the west was where I spotted something in the distance watching me. I’m not sure what it was but it was bigger than the Frost wolves’ alpha.

Whatever was out there I just hope that it doesn’t see me as a threat or an easy prey. This planet is not known in the ship’s computer as the Frost wolves were new. I wouldn’t mind studying them as it would be better than being the same routine without much interesting happening. I hate doing nothing.

The simulation I’m doing today is different than the others. Why is it different? I’m going through the training of sniping instead of being thrown into a battle I’m now being trained. I had never been trained by anyone before, or so that I remember. This training is harsh and brutal as the man who’s experiencing this had an asshole trainer that looks down at this soldier and keeps yelling out how he doesn’t have the guts to fire a gun at his enemy. I’m gonna prove that bitch wrong. If I don’t break the pressure.

[/hr]

Entry 425
March 16
Rios’ Audio Files

I can’t really believe that Arien is regaining any memory at all. It has been one year since our departure from Mercy’s solar system as it was a choice Arien had picked over than staying on Mercy for eternity. The “Forget me” pill worked has Arien had hoped for, he doesn’t want to remember Mercy as it would cause him to break into a psycho again like last time. Arien had mental problems when the machines took him in for experiments after he lost his left arm, they did four types of experiments three that was painful and could break a regular man’s sanity but the fourth was the replacement for his missing limb. If they didn’t take him in his weakened state then he would still have his arm, but also lose his ability. Someone who wanted to help bring peace to two different races I should start explaining more about this if you ever find these files Arien.

As I said when you asked what and who you were is true, but there is more in the dark that you must discover yourself without my help. I can’t really say much, but I know you would uncover some fragments of your memory piece by piece placing them in the correct spot where they go. You’re gonna have to make guesses about what happened whether you have a guess or pieces of evidence, you are going to make assumptions about your identity.

I remember our first encounter in Lab Zero where I was just started to give in to the corrupted data all around in the facility. If it weren’t for you I am laughing mad wanting nothing more than to create for fails, but thanks for lady luck you heard me and came into the room with me. Curiosity is what drove you to me. I didn’t hear the door slide open when you entered in the room but after you tried to touch me, I scared you when you shocked me of knowing that there was still someone alive in that place. That moment when you held that PDA I know we could make it out the lab, but without your voice, we couldn’t get around the lab and I can’t really handle silence or else I’ll go mad. And having a corrupted AI would be suicidal as most would hack into various systems to cause mayhem that most would see as accidents if none knows any type of rogue AI’s, but if there was someone who knows about them then the government would want to know what type of species they were representing as it would help understand what goal a rogue AI has. I, a fox, is seen as a mischievous little fucker if I ever went rogue.

You and I were both curious types after we walked around in the lab to the Voice Giver as you couldn’t talk to me which is a problem on Mercy. If you can’t talk or don’t have any communication skills then you’re doom. I still remember you always keeping me eye level with you when we first started searching. You always made me feel like an actual person not just some sparks and data code.

Mercy, our home planet, was nothing more than an apocalyptic planet that has groups of race divided into seven colonies. Humans and Furvors are the two colonies that hated each other the most as blame for who caused the virus. Machines and infected are another two colonies both having similar goals, but Machines what to turn the whole planet into a planet of drones and the extinction of organics. As the infected, they wanted to turn the whole planet into the land and sea of deads. They can infect mechs with parasites, but it’s an uncommon chance for a parasite to control a mech’s body. The other three are complicated but their names weren’t heard until the relay we set up called them. The Gourgants, Yautjas, and Precursors; their goals are unknown as we only encounter them few times.

That is all I have for this audio log as the thought of those alien race is something I must keep this in the species files. Arien if you were listening to this be prepared as you always have trouble keeping yourself from getting into a fight.

Audio log: Discontinued

Chapter 3: New Things are Happening! (unedited)

“What are you doing soldier, is that how you shoot!? A sniper would see you a mile away before you even get the chance of spotting him!” My drill sergeant shouted out insults as I tried to take aim at the target. This whole shouting and insulting has been going on for two weeks. Two full fucking weeks that has been nothing but a pain in my ass. The drill sergeant that was tasked to train me and four other recruits, I could tell by the tone of his voice that he’s disappointed in most of us but I can’t tell if he sees one of us better than the other in being an elite sniper. If Rios was here he’ll give me some motivation support, right?

I’m not the best in ranged weapons that require a lot of intelligence to use as knowing the weapon from memory and what it does, but I guess with time and teaching I’ll be a know wanna be. For now, I favor the submachine guns, machine guns, and shotguns as I felt comfortable shooting them without aiming much. If there were going to be any other gun I’m gonna be used by me then it’s going to be all of them since I had gone through five different battles that were involved in wars between a country.

Killing is not easy as the thought sticks to your conscious, seeing the person you kill staring at you with those dead cold eyes with pity as you go about your day. I wish in simulations I don’t feel the emotional feeling that these men been through, I can’t shake off those memories of realizing I just killed a man for what I believe the greater good for being the good guy, but in truth there is no such thing as good or bad unless there is a full explanation. Knowing yourself and enemy gives you victory, knowing yourself but not your enemy even if you won a battle you feel defeat, but not knowing yourself and your enemy then every time you kill is always a wave of negative emotions and defeat. I don’t feel this defeat only does the person I’m seeing memories of does, how they regret killing just because of orders forcing them against their own will.

“That sniper won’t see me sir!” I take aim ignoring the sergeant and fired making a dead accurate shot between the circle and dot making it a good shot but not the best accurate shot to be considered a kill shot. I sighed out of disappointment and aimed higher up at another circle with a dot in it, but much smaller than my hand making it difficult to aim at the dot. Before I could take a shot one of the other trainees besides me shot and hit a millimeter or two above the circle making it a miss shot. I had forgotten that there were other trainees here at the firing range.

“What the hell was that soldier!?” The sergeant shouted out to the man on my right. Glad it wasn’t me, I can’t handle being yelled by that guy. I fired another 50.cal at the small target, the kick back slammed the against my shoulder causing it to ache from the third time firing this gun. Using this gun while standing would be more painful than laying down with the bipod and monopod setup. It was a direct hit as the hole from the bullet replaced the dot in the circle making it an accurate shot than the last one.

This went on for half an hour before the drill sergeant called off training. This whole learning how to fire a sniper rifle simulation was nothing but a pain in my ass. I am glad that training was over and that the sergeant can now shut up and begone before I shove his head up someone's ass. Why did I think to do that?

Everyone taking training at the military academy was all out on the field playing whatever sports here they have at their disposal. There were some “break time” here so that soldiers joining up to fight have at least some way to release stress than having it build up in every training they are assigned to. The break last for about an hour or two before everyone has to go back training for the rest of today, but I’m just glad to have some time away from getting yelled at for something I did correct or messed up on.

Outside I’m usually sitting on a bench reading books what has blurred words which would be useless to even attempt reading. I spent my time just thinking of the outcome if I ever wander off away from the ship. Would there be other intelligent life out there? I know that I had been watched from a distance by something, but how do I know they aren’t hostile? Rios already knew about it since I did report to him about seeing something in a distance doing its best to keep itself hidden from view, but I did managed to catch glimpse of the figure. I can’t say what type of creature it was as from the distance you can’t see anything other than a silhouette.

“Arien…” Everything around me froze as if time has been stopped by a snap of a finger. “...I’m pulling you out of the simulation.”

“Okay Rios,” I replied back, this had happened to me when I first got back into the simulation. It did surprise me to know that Rios was watching over me as the simulation goes, talking to me every once in a while giving me history lessons or identity of the weapon in my hands. “I’ll see you in the real world.”

Just like that everything went black before I opened my eyes to see a dim lit ceiling. The room that held the simulation had dim lights making the whole room seem like a place to hold a psycho in, though it had a reclined chair in the middle of the room with wires connecting it from the floor and monitors by it. What is connected to the headrest of the chair where the wires connect to these stabilize my brain to prevent the bleeding effect; blending effect of real-time memories and memories of the person in the simulation, but seeing as I don’t know the history of these people I don’t have to truly worry about them. Rios still didn’t want to risk the effect so he had me get off the simulation time to time before going back on for another session.

Sitting up straight in the chair I looked to my right. On my right was Rios standing by a monitor of my brainwaves and heart rate. He glanced up taking his eyes off the monitor before shutting off the machine.

“Welcome back to Arien, how was training?” Rios smiled, for once he actually smiles, and leaned against the monitor. This was my chance at getting to know Rios if I play my cards right.

“Sargent is an asshole if I hear him yell at me one more time I’ll shove my foot where the sun doesn't shine,” I said shaking my fist in the air as if I was cursing someone. I saw Rios covered his mouth chuckling into it. I was still planning on knowing him and this was good I make him laugh, I just have to keep this up. “So Rios, do you want to hang out with me?”

I have sworn a record player suddenly stopped giving the atmosphere an awkward moment. A sigh escapes from Rios as he placed his right hand on his muzzle. Oh shit, did I do something wrong to cause him to think or was there something in his mind? Whatever it is this has two endings and I’m rooting for the good one.

Rios lifted his hand off his muzzle and stared at me straight in the eyes, his gaze felt like he was burning two holes in my eye sockets. His frown turn into a grin before I even know it he fazed through the monitor and patted my head, well he couldn’t physically touch me but I can feel the warmth radiating off his hologram as his hand rested on my head. I think I got the good route I wanted! Not caring I smiled and tried to swat his hand away but I remember that he can’t be physically touched.

“Tomorrow, meet me at the crew deck in the lounge,” He said before walking away, but just when he reached the door he turned his gaze to me. “We’ll play a game there.”

The crew deck, I remembered going there when boredom had gotten me. It was when I first discovered how to play pool in the lounge and how drinking alcohol doesn’t really have much punch and flavor in them, like seriously make better alcohol that packs a punch and gets you drunk instantly. I don’t have a drinking problem if that’s what people see me as, I just want something that can take me away from reality, but then again the micro nanites in my body would just do something against the alcohol in my system. One of the many problems I see in my life in just being alive in these past three weeks.

I pushed myself out of my seat and stretched out my limbs from the hours sitting on that chair without moving is such a pain in the ass when the cushions not that fucking comfy for me. After the quick stretch, I wandered out the room to go find Jack. That little guy is still working on the right wing thruster, but thankfully Rios wasn’t that cruel to keep him busy he gives him two or three-hour break when it hits noons or four in the after. I’m the type of guy who needs someone to talk with or else I might go insane and start speaking to myself.

Speaking of my sanity I wonder how I’m still insane from how I woke up in a place I don’t recognize, fighting some wicked wolf, and learning that you are not what you expect to be from an AI that could be lying. How did I hold on for so long that it could break a man’s sanity in one week? Is this how a homunculus handles things just don’t think about it? If so then I’m down with being the creature I am. Acting like nothing is important other than the mission is making me feel like I’m just a soldier following order but one who can disobey that order. Is there such a thing as that?

My walk through the ship was cut short when a certain engineer drone flew by making a high pitch scream or whistle I think. I ran after the damn drone to see what seemed to be a small little furry guy yelling at the tops of its own lungs. Jack had to be built as a drone that fucking flies instead of building it with legs then again (twice) it would look weird to see a drone with a sphere body. That damn drone hovering over the floor gave him the advantage to go faster than me. Each turn I made my shoes would squeak as I continue my pursuit to get that thing off of Jack’s back.

“By my creator’s name Jack slow down or spin around like a panicking drone you are!” Jack finally heard my advice and spun around causing whatever that fur ball is to be flung at my face. All of a sudden everything went dark with rugged fur rubbing against my face. It didn’t take a smart ass to figure out what’s it doing. “AHHH GET IT OFF OH BY MY THE NAME HE’S HUMPING MY FACE!”

“WA XA IA!” I twist and turn trying to get his damn thing off my face and stop if from face fucking me! When I got the hold of the little FUCK I pulled it back but at the cost of my hair getting pulled.

“What the hell is going here!?” A flash behind me told its own news that Rios was here and now demanding what was happening. With a turn, I showed him this...whatever the hell it was. Now I got Rios’ attention and did I see a spark in his eyes?

“This bastard was riding Jack and slamming his little fist,” I said as the little fur ball was kicking and yelling bloody murder of whatever language it speaks. Was this little guy the one watching me in the snow? No, I wouldn’t have seen him in a distance unless up close because how small he was. I took my eyes off the little shit and looked at Rios to see his creepy grin and crazy stare. Something tells me that I already know what he has plan but I don’t want to acknowledge it.

“Seems like another inhabitant of this planet came to visit,” Rios pointed out licking his lips. Okay, this just went from being mad to scared of a fox that I wanted to know more of. “Arien would you be kind and follow me, I have a spot where our “guest” can stay for the night until we know what he is.”

If someone was expecting me to feel sorry for the little fucker they got me wrong I’m glad that Rios has something in mind for this fur ball it was payback for face fucking me. Rios gestured me to follow and I gladly followed him around the ship to one room with the little guy kicking and screaming at the tops of its lungs in its own language as we walked.

“Little guy seemed to be mad Arien…” No shit. “...Did you do something to make him mad?”
Rios asked sounding like a mother father a combination of both if I say, but in a creepy way. Is to it too late to reconsider our tomorrow hang out?

We entered the lab where Rios wanted the fur ball in and placed him in a sealed glass-like container with small drilled holes in it just to keep him breathing fresh air. The whole lab is what you expect from a lab except having some advance scanners, robotic limbs, monitors, glass containers, and few samples in some laboratory flask. I’m not much in science though I do feel like I did this before but for a different reason.

Before Rios could start any scanning and data collecting on the fur ball I walked out the room to the Armory as I feared that Rios would do more than scanning. On my way to the Armory, Jack whizzed by carrying circuits and wires back to the right thruster. There goes my plan thrown out the window on talking with Jack as he’s busy and so was Rios. I guess a change of plans was necessary now than later.

Arriving at the armory I looked around in the room to see what I had crafted. Clothes, guns, bullets, and armor, well one armor as I could no longer craft due to being low on material meaning no craft unless I find more. Actually that gave me a thought what if i have a quick word with Rios and say that I’m about to go around and see if i could find like some sort of underground cave buried by snow. That sounds like a plan doesn’t it? Now thinking about it the whole thing sounds like it won’t work.

I entered in the Quick Equip (should have thought a better name) and went through the two only winter clothes I have. German or Russian, both are meant for winter. I think I go with Russian since they had more experience in the cold and had faced the devastating snow storm that gave them the upper hand on taking back their capital (I think) and pushed the German army off their land. For Mother Russia! Oh, wait I’m not Russian I am german. Well that went a turn down but hey I did see through the eyes and fight as a Russian soldier in the second war.

Warmth is important when you’re in a snowstorm. I tapped the screen once causing the ceiling above to open up and bring down a cleaner pair of Russian winter clothes. Have I ever mention that it made two pairs instead of one like everyone would have thought when using something you don’t know what it does? If there was a no then I need to explain a bit more often in my journal.

I stripped myself of any clothing on me and traded it for the cleaner pair as I don’t want to smell my own reeking stench. Before I even go to Rios I have to visit the ship’s laundry room to clean my clothes. I’m not sure if there are other space ships having a laundry room for its passengers. Putting on a new set of clothes before I gathered up my dirty clothes and exited out the Armory to the laundry room.

The room was small as there were only two machines that cleans my laundry whenever I just leave them laying on top of the table. This is one way that I prefer to have my laundry cleaned and me not doing anything while the ship is cleaning my laundry as I’m going to be busy trying to find a cave or something like one. I just hope there not a big furry monster looking for the small one or else I’ll be fighting something I don’t know of. Fighting the unknown could be dangerous like holding a lit Molotov until the fire reaches the gasoline and blows up in your hand and catching you on fire. I don’t want to catch on fire considering how I’m literally wearing clothes that can light on fire! FIRE!

Speaking of fire I wonder if that little shit can catch itself on fire and melt the glass? With that in thought, I wandered out the laundry room and made way to the lab where Rios may or may not be documenting. I truly wonder what happens if you hit a hologram with another hologram, would they feel the pain like me?

When I arrived at the doors of the lab I rested my hand on the lever, but before I could open the door I heard screams coming from the other side along with a surgical saw. Okay, Rios is fucked up to the head. I swallowed the lump in my throat and taken a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth and opened the door to see the unspeakable.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?” I shouted at Rios, who had control of the robotic arms one with a surgical saw and the other holding out a data pad. Rios was a fucking crazy fox as how this whole thing looks like a torture chamber than a lab room now than before. It didn’t take long for the crazy fox to turn around with a wicked smile.

“Oh, you know just some dissection to see what’s inside this creature’s body as it is need for the sake of science!” Rios chuckled as if he said a joke, but this was nothing to joke around about. “I only uncovered a fifth of the creature’s species and language and this thing has been threatening how he’s going to call for more to attack if you don’t release him, isn’t that funny? Such a small creature threatening us. I can die happily if I were an organic. How I would enjoy doing these experiments if I could wander out in the snow looking for new species to study on. Imagine having to know every about that race, culture, anatomy, witnesses, history, and many more.”

“I-is this the same Rios, I’ve known these three weeks?” I thought to myself. If this was truly how Rios was then I don’t want to see him mad.

“Hey uh, Rios? I’m gonna go out and search the area, I won’t be back for a while,” I said making sure not to cause more chaos than what’s happening now. That wicked smile of his finally died as he was back to his normal-ish self.

“Oh, well don’t let me stop you,” He said turning his attention back to the unlucky fur ball. “Just don’t be late for tomorrow, I’ll be waiting in the lounge.”

Wow, just wow I was expecting him to be going against it and wanting me to keep a certain distance from the ship. I’m thankful that Rios didn’t. I went back to the Armory to grab a submachine gun and a secondary arm seeing how Rios gave me permission, well he didn’t care, on going out to look for a cave. I didn’t tell him about the cave part, but I guess he wouldn’t mind now seeing how he doesn’t care that I’m going out.

Turns out it was dark outside making it difficult to wander away from the ship, but at least the good news is that I don’t have to worry about losing the ship from my sight as how there is a flashing white bulb light at the back of the ship making it easier to find. The storm still the same always snowing no matter how long it has been, endless snowing makes it feel like the whole world is like this. I really hate the cold and I bet I’m not the only one here walking this snowy wasteland that wishes to be somewhere warm. I had prepared for this trip of mine being equipped with the PPD-40 and the Trench Gun, both guns I know how to use have a good amount of ammo for. Three drum magazines for the Russian submachine gun and thirty shotgun shells for the Trench Gun, this coat only has to pockets and the ammunition I have filled them up, well to be correct the third drum was in the other pocket forcing me to use the submachine gun first then the shotgun second.

The only sound I can make out here is the crunching snow under my boots and harsh blowing wind in my ears as I travel around searching for at least something out of the ordinary other than snow. I had been out for around an hour? Actually I think it's been more than an hour seeing how I’m much farther away from the ship and on top of a snow hill where I got the second least best spot to have a look at the terrain, but I can’t see jack shit because of the storm and how fucking dark it was. I wish I had one of those flashlights so I can see a bit farther but I don’t have the blueprints to make one nor enough materials. Now I regret crafting guns without thinking what I needed for this storm.

“Hey, what’s this?” I spotted something down the hill, in the opposite direction of the ship, that stood out a lump of snow on the side of the hill. Curious as to what it was I climbed down the hill and kept myself from losing my footing. I reached the lump and began to dig up the lump of snow until I spotted coat of black under a thin layer of snow. There was something under this pile of snow! I picked up the pace of digging and tried to piece together what had fur.

‘Is Luna here!? Did she tried to find me!?’ I tossed my gun aside and used both my hands throwing a handful of snows aside as the thought of Luna being out here for hours. It’s so dark out here but I’m sure that coat color belongs to Luna who else would be this close to the ship! I unburied half of Luna’s body from snow, but before my gears began to turn and take notice of missing wings I dug up the rest off of this horse and found out it wasn’t Luna.

This was another horse smaller than Luna, but she lacks the horn and wings. Being careless and rash I picked up the horse and held it close to my chest. After having the horse in my arm I picked up my gun and ran back to the ship where it’ll be warm and lots of blankets there to warm the horse in my arms up. I don’t know why there was a horse buried under snow but I can say one thing if I haven’t come out here then it would have died.

I made it back to the ship with the horse in my arm and entered the ship before going straight to the crew’s quarters where I am sure that there was a heater there to warm this horse up. Rios would be too busy to know that I had returned and Jack was still repairing the thruster making the whole arrive unknown which was good. If Rios knew that I had brought something back that inhabits this world then he’ll do the same to this horse like he did to the fur ball. I don’t want him to give the horse the same fate as the fur ball, I won’t forgive myself if he knows it’s here.

After creeping through the halls I made it to the crew’s quarters and entered in. I set the horse down on a bed and turned on the heat in the room, I just have to keep this horse warm. I walked back to the bed and sat at the edge before leaning my head over its snout. Soft breaths came out of the horse’s snout meaning that it's still alive, but the horse was still freezing.

‘Okay, I am getting annoyed at calling the horse, it.’ I leaned my head back and turn my body to the right. ‘It won’t hurt to check its gender, will it? I’m not going to regret this, am I?!’

Shaking the last thought away I reached over to the horse’s hind leg and lifted up to see nothing between the horse’s legs meaning it is a she. I should have guessed the gender than looking for myself! My head snapped to the side where I could check on the mare, but when I did she was awake with eyes wide opened and blushing. Oh by my creator’s name, she felt me lift her leg. I felt my cheeks begin to burn as our eyes locked together.

“Uhh hi…” Gathering to give a small wave the mare, surprisingly she waved back. Since we’re in a room with a light I now got a better look at her. The mare’s coat was white as snow, her crimson hair made her look unique, but for the eyes, they were a gorgeous red that could be compared to a ruby. We both continued to stare until I heard Rios rambling to himself on the other side of the door.

‘Oh shit!’ I bolt to the door and stood in front of and just in time too as it opened up to reveal Rios on the other side with a smile. ‘Please don’t notice.’

“Oh Arien, I didn’t know you have returned,” He said sounding surprised of seeing me back so soon. “I have great news, the fur ball language has been translated and written on a datapad where other languages go to. The creature is safe to eat meaning you can hunt them down and cook them if you ever like to, you finally get the chance to eat meat and even cook! It wouldn’t that be great?”

“Um yeah that’s great, I could finally have something to eat than that pink slime.” I smiled keeping myself in his view. “It’s good news to hear this Rios, but could we talk about it later when I’m not getting out of my clothes?”

Rios raised a brow before rolling his eyes, something tells me that I messed up. He leaned to the right which caused me to lean to the left blocking his view to the mare lying on one of the beds. Now he knew something was wrong when I did this and it’s going to be more difficult to keep him from seeing the mare.

“It’s dark outside and I could barely see two yards away do we have a flashlight laying around the ship? I can’t wander around the area in the dark and see only darkness and shadows,” I said trying my best to at least throw him off a topic of seeing what’s behind me. “ You can’t search around for a cave if it’s too dark outside to see anything in the distance and let’s not forget about the storm outside too making it difficult to see too. Plus if I do find a cave by accident there’s the same problem too dark to see anything. I wouldn’t know if there was some giant creature lurking inside ready to pounce at someone who can’t see in the dark.”

“Hmm, true having a flashlight would help the most.” Rios crossed his arms thinking deep, which was good! “I know the X16 has a build in light, but I also know there was another flashlight around the ship just don’t really remember where it was. The flashlight should look like a small cylinder that has a clamp attaching to it, this light is able to attach to nearly any gun. Remember the word NEARLY.”

Okay note to self flashlight look like a small cylinder with a clamp attached to it apparently Rios doesn’t know where this flashlight on the ship. I think I successfully clouded the crazy fox’s mind meaning that the mare was save from his crazy tactics of discovering a species. I truly want to know how Rios from the memory so kind and clueless like me to a fucking crazy scientist AI that wants to dissect an unknown creature for the name of science. When the hell did things went south and what caused it?!

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said wanting to end this soon if possible now. Hopefully, the mare doesn’t think she’s in danger, but then again I did lift her hind leg to see what gender she was and I have to admit this I also saw her nethers lips. Come on hold it together Arien keep your cheeks from flushing red.

“Yeah…” Rios walked away, but before he made his tenth step he turned with a smile. “...make sure to keep that mare company.”

“YOU FUCKING KNEW!” I was bewildered at how he knew that the mare was here. A chuckle came from the fox himself as he pointed at the camera above him. Oh shit, I totally forgot about the cameras around the ship, Ceria must have told him or I just got spotted by him when he happened to look at the security monitor.

“Ta ta.” Like that he disappeared, but not before he stuck his tongue at me.

What just happened? No really what just fucking happened right here in that few seconds of keeping Rios from seeing the mare. I’m having a mix signals from Rios, is he not going to dissect the mare or is he going to leave her alone? Actually, does she even speak English same Luna?

I softly hit my head on the doorframe and turn my head slightly to the right to see the mare staring at me. Maybe she did understand English. I sighed before I walked over to the mare and took a seat on the bed opposite from hers, she didn’t show any signs of being scared of me which makes me wonder if she even has a clue what’s going on.

“So, Miss.”

“Crimsonrose.”

“Huh?” I stared at the mare. I didn’t catch her name because she said it too fast.

“Crimson Rose,” She said clearly and slowly. Crimson Rose, what a unique name I have to say, but I guess the red hair what got her that name.

“Well, since you gave me your name I’ll do the same, the name is Arien.” I held out my left hand for her to shake, but stares at my hand not knowing what I’m doing. It took her a few seconds for her brain to click on figuring out what a handshake is before she reached out her right hoof and grasp my hand. I began to move our hand/hoof up and down before we pulled our forelimbs back.

Crimson Rose, can I ask you some questions?” I asked being calm and having collected thoughts of what to ask her. Rose gave me an approving nod which made it more confusing as to why she’s so calm, but thankfully I’m asking questions. “Why are you so calm?”

“Because I know you won’t do harm,” Rose answered. How does she...oh wait does me saying hi and not showing any hostile aggression towards her? “You would have killed me before I had awoken, chained me up in some dungeon, and armed with a weapon.”

“I guess that makes since, but I’m not a native to this planet,” I pointed out. She can’t be so calm after hearing that, can she? Turns out she was calm and didn’t show a single sign of fear meant that she’s sticking with her gut on knowing that I won’t harm her and she does make a point I could have killed her, locked her up, and stabbed her after she woke up. “Next question, how did you get caught up in the snowstorm at night?”

This one took Rose some time to think as her eyes were glued to the floor. I saw her lips moved but nothing came out from them, she was probably talking to herself but she could also be thinking of a lie to explain how she managed to get caught up in that storm. Either way, I just want this question to be answered.

“I lost my caravan out in the storm and I tried to find them, though it was too dark out and the storm hit harder than usual. I had tried to follow their trail before the storm hit, but when it did I couldn’t see three ponies away and the snow storm had covered the tracks making it difficult to find them. All this happened because how clumsy I was to sleep in the back of the sled, I didn’t know I would fall off the back in the cold without a single pony spotting me. I wonder if they ever notice I was gone, but I guess they didn’t since being caught in the storm is death how no pony could survive the harsh cold.” Rose tried to hold back a tear (so I thought) but she burst into tears. Being a kind man (homunculus) I reached out and patted her side saying that she can let it out. Only if I knew of what’s behind her story. After a few pats on her side and small quiet sniffles Rose wiped away the tears from her eyes and looked back up at me.

“Are you okay to answer two more or do you want to stop this?” I asked unsure whether to continue asking more or end this now and sum up what I got. Rose waved a hoof gesturing me to continue. “The next question I was going to ask was what is your species, but seeing how you already answered that I’m gonna tossed that one aside and ask the last one. Ahem, will you run away and return back home if you are left alone?”

“No!” I reared back head in surprised at how she responded, did I push a button? Rose realized her own action and lowered her head onto the pillow repeating her answer, but much more softly. “No, I won’t.”

‘Quick response on that meaning she doesn’t like home or her home was destroyed. I need more information about Rose’s past if I want to know why she said no so quickly. Her being this calm is kinda making me believe she has any sanity, but whatever keeping her calm is a good thing as I don’t have to worry about her screaming and trying to attack me.’ I couldn’t help but to sigh at how she’s acting hell I probably met her under twenty-five minutes and I’m getting the vibe of bullshit. It’s the best act to leave this alone and pick it up next time. I stand up off the bed and walked to the door, but before I left I gave Rose one look over to notice two blades on her rear. ‘Is that part of her fur?’

/Rose’s POV\

‘Oh buck, oh buck, how did I manage to get caught in the storm, without a winter coat for this snow storm, and rescued by a furless Dire Wolf who probably is an omega and was kicked out of the pack. How did I end up having the worst luck?’ I groan as I buried my face in the pillow, if I didn’t steal that weird compass then all of this wouldn’t have happened from the beginning. I’m not a thief only a mare who wants to have an adventure, not some boring life being some daughter of a warlord stallion. Ponies seeing you has a daughter of a warlord it's bothering because how stallions would want to marry a warlord's daughter just so he could be superior to those farming the crops and near the city wall.

I lift my head and stared at the door where Arien left through. Seeing as Arien knows that I won’t run and scream (so I think) I hopped off the bed and walked across the room to the door. When I reach at the latch sticking out from the door it opened up by itself leaving me confused of how it did that. I walked out the room where the beds were in and glanced at both my sides. This entire place was made out of metal and that must have been a pain to collect and build up in the north. Seeing how the halls were empty I took a right walked down the hall to where there might be more of Arien’s kind.

My father would kill me if he knew the reason as to why I left home. I guess being hidden here with Arien and this Rios might not be that bad as Arien seems kind and protective meaning if I get on his good side and become his friend then he’ll keep me safe from Rios, but finding him was going to be a pain in the flank as this whole place feels like one long hallway. Speaking of Arien, I haven’t run into him yet which was starting to worry me as the thought of another dire Wolf would find me and think I’m their next meal.

I picked up the pace from a slow walk to a light trot as I wandered through the halls. My ears began to pick up a sound of something humming down the hall. I slowed myself to a fast pace walk until I came to the source of the humming sound. The sound came behind a pair of metal doors with no handles attached to them.

‘How does somepony open them?’ I touched the metal surface of the door and stared at my reflection. A mare of crimson hair and red eyes along with a white coat staring at what she was now, a mare who’s been dumb enough to follow a compass out in a storm for three days without a winter coat thinking she might find something that would take her away from her troubles as being a daughter to a charger getting unwanted attention. Before I could pull my hoof back the doors opened without warning with Arien behind wearing different clothes.

“Oh, hey Rose didn’t expect you to be out here this soon,” He said walking past me. I took the chance to follow him making sure I stay close to his liking. We walked back to where I came from which was starting to worry me as there might have been other Dire Wolves around the corner, but when we did turn that corner there were none surprisingly. Usually when you find an omega there are sometimes a full pack in the area as omegas are just scouts and useless members of the pack being treated poorly. Being curious as a mare I am I decided to ask Arien if there are any other Dire Wolves around.

“Dire Wolves? I never heard of them, but if that’s what you think I am then you are wrong.” We arrived at the room where Arien and I had our questions. Arien grasped the latch on the door and slides it opened, which is a weird way for a door to open in my opinion. “ My kind is homunculus as for the Rios, who you didn’t see when I was blocking him from see you, is a fox. At first I thought he would try to bring you in for dissection, but I should have known better when I had brought you in he saw us on the ship’s cameras.”

We entered the room where I first woke up in this place. I watched Arien walked over to the corner of room by the door and picked up something before walking by me. Again I followed him wanting to stay safe even if his words were true I don’t really know my way around this place.

After walking through the halls and riding down, what Arien calls “an elevator”, we arrived at the main floor of this place. I don’t understand the layout or how big this whole metal den. We exited out of the elevator and walked through another set of halls, but this one was different as it was shorter compared to the others. Both of us stood in front of another pair of doors, but Arien told me to say which I listen as this place was his home and that I’m starting to believe that Rios and Arien are truly the only ones here.

I sat by the doors and glided my hoof across the metal floor as I waited for Arien to come back out from the room he was in. If ponies were here they would be disappointed to see a daughter of a war lord acting like a pet to another being. As I stared blankly at the floor my ears flicked at the direction of the doors where I hear something heavy moving behind them. Was there something behind these doors that Arien did not want me to see or was it for a different reason? I had lied to him about being dumb of sleeping on the back of the sled and falling off not even giving details of why my caravan didn’t go back or why I didn’t call out.

‘I really buck up with that make-believe story of mine,’ I thought to myself as the sound of the doors opening caused my ears to fall flat on both sides of my head. The guilt of lying really does make you feel sorry for lying to someone who saved you from the face of death, huh?

“There we go no more dangerous weapons laying around like a child’s playroom.” I don’t exactly know what he meant by that as I don’t really know much of what he means in words, but I do make my guesses on what he meant. I heard him approached me before I felt him tap my back with one of his claws.

“Rose, you okay?” I heard him asked. I nodded my head just so we won’t go into another long talk.

“Just tired.” Okay, maybe a small talk it good for today as it has been a pretty long day.

“True, you probably didn’t get any rest since you were between life and death out in that snow storm,” He said sounding pretty tired himself. There was a short time of silence before I heard him move. “I’ll walk you back to the crew’s quarters.”

There I was laying on the bed where Arien had put me on before I had woken up with him touching me and looking between my legs. I could have swung a hoof at the back of his head but at that time I thought he was a Dire Wolf already trying to mark me, thankfully he wasn’t. He’s going to pay for invading my privacy.

My eyes felt heavy meaning that I’m more tired than I actually realize than before. Resting my head on the soft pillow I closed my eyes and let sleep take over me.

“I know who you are.” My eyes snapped wide opened. I looked around to find who said that, but everything was different. The whole room wasn’t made out of metal anymore but wood looking like a royal bedchamber, the bed I lie on wasn’t the one I slept in instead a bigger one made for a royal couple.

“Ahh, I see you noticed your surroundings which makes it perfect for us to meet right now, but seeing how stressed you are I leave you at ease until I wish to speak with you.” The whispers, I couldn’t find who said it as the whispers came all around as if the walls were speaking to me. Is this what ponies have to deal with when they lie to somepony that’s good? I had lied to my father more than once and never have it ever had this happens to me until now.

“Who are you?” I asked looking around the room just to if there was a pony hiding in the dark, but I can’t see anypony hiding in the shadows.

“Umm no, take time to knowing Crysis more then I’ll tell ya my name doll face.”

“What?”

I heard the door’s lock clicked along with hoofsteps coming from behind the wall. I leaped off the bed and ran to the door seeing if it was locked. My hoof gripped the metal ball as I tried to pull the door back, but it didn’t budge. Failing to know that the door’ opens in a different way I turned myself around with my rear facing the door, I lifted by rear end up and pulled my hind hooves close to my stomach before bucking the door down.

Once I heard the door fall down I whipped myself around and bolted out the room to a narrow hallway with one door at the far end of the hall. I carefully walked towards the other door being cautious of what I step on as there might be traps hidden under these wooden floors.

Making it to the other end of the hallway with no surprises hidden around in this narrow space I gripped the handle of the door and pushed forward causing the door to reveal darkness on the other side. I jumped back to see if there were any traps attached to the door but there were none making me worry that I might let my guard down because of this. Tossing my worries aside I took the first step in the shadows. The ground felt solid enough to support my whole weight meaning that I can walk without worrying that the ground would be too weak to support my weight.

I continued to walk blindly in the dark before I saw light from the sky shining down. Being so blinded by joy I ran over to the lighted area. When I drew close to the lighted area I saw a dark silhouette approaching on the other side of the light. My body tensed up from the unknown figure as I stopped behind the beam of light shining down. The silhouette on the other side was tall as Arien was but I can tell something was different its left forelimb had some places where the limb was skinnier than the right forelimb.

I took a step back as the figure took a step forward into the light causing me to gasp.

Author's Note

I kinda went too far on this one, but hopefully, I found mistakes that wouldn't ruin reading out loud. If you see a mistake I and a friend of mine missed then comment down below and put the sentence with it so I know where to find them.