Earth's Orbit

Tenno Orbiter

The Orbiter was silent. The various machines and devices aboard hummed quietly, as to not disturb the inhabitants. Currently, the only on visible was in a state of deep thought or meditation near the ship's navigation console. Then, a small, cracked hologram appeared next to a lone, meditating figure.

"Operator, wake up. Something has happened." Ordis said. "Lotus has given us a new mission."

The figure slowly came to life, standing up. A Tenno of the Lotus awoke, his Excalibur Warframe silent and ready for whatever crossed his path, friend or foe.

"What is it, Ordis?" he asked, in a quiet tone, meaningful but deep.

"See for yourself, Operator." Ordis replied.

Gheren Prime merely sighed. He had accomplished many impossible feats of bravery against the Infected, Grineer, and Corpus. He had even battled against the Sentients, yet…

He knew there was still work to do. He tapped a button on his NAV console, and the voice of Lotus spoke to him.

"Tenno, I require your aid. Before you were made asleep, before you were even Tenno, there was once a world that the Orokin allied with in their wars, a colony of sorts for special beings. I ask of you to return there and see what has happened. I am sending you warp coordinates. Be careful, Tenno. The Orokin have not been there in many hundreds of years. I know not what greets you."

"I understand, Lotus." Gheren replied respectfully. "I will proceed immediately."

"Good luck, Tenno."

Gheren ended the connection and smiled beneath his masked Warframe.

"Ordis?"

"Yes, Operator?"

"Punch it." Gheren said. As he sat back down to meditate, the orbiter sped off into Warp at Ordis's command.

"So, Operator?" Ordis asked. "What do you think we'll find there?"

"I have no idea." Gheren replied, heading to his Foundry to check on his weapon repairs. "But I figure we'll find out once we arrive."

====
Equestria

Ponyville, around Six AM.

Twilight Sparkle was known to be studious, even by ponies that hadn't met her in their lifetime. However, it wasn't a kept secret that she could be excessively studious or enveloped in her work.

Such was true today. Princess Celestia had sent her a case of artifacts from before Equestria even existed. Celestia's own hypothesis was that they were from the original land the Equines came from before Hearth's Warming. They were all tablets, purest white with no cracks or ageing to speak of.

Furthermore, they were all inscribed with a strange language that seemingly nopony could translate. The only semi-recognizable part were a few simple words, that seemed plausible to read.

Tenno. Orokin. Void.

Twilight furrowed her brow at those words. They were certainly not Equestrian, or recognizable by any Equestrian language or dialect. The tablets themselves lay in a safe Twilight had made, she was currently reviewing sketches she had made with charcoal rubbings. The strange thing was, the charcoal seemed to be repelled by the tablets themselves.

"Twilight?" cried a voice.

"Yes, Spike?" she replied. "What's the matter?"

"Breakfast!" he replied. Twilight then heard her stomach rumble. She rolled her eyes, packed her sketches away, and headed to the dining room to join her number-one assistant.

====

One hour later

"Twi? You in?" said an athletic, brash voice. Twilight looked up from her eggs to see Rainbow Dash come in at a quicker pace than usual.

"Rainbow!" she said. "What's wrong?"

"A boatload of minotaurs and Griffons just showed up." she said.

"Why is that a problem?" Twilight asked.

"They're armed, that's the problem." Rainbow said. "They keep asking everypony one question. "Where are the Tablets of Ruin?"."

"Tablets of Ruin?" Twilight asked, unsure. "I'll go speak with them. Maybe they're mistaken. There's nothing here called the Tablets of Ruin."

"Um...no need." Spike said.

"Why?" both Twilight and Rainbow asked.

"They're coming here." he replied. "And they don't look happy."

Both ponies gulped as the crowd entered. There were seven griffons and ten Minotaurs, and as they entered, Twilight could see the freshly honed edges of their swords and axes. Twilight pushed Rainbow behind her, and she assumed a wary stance.

"What is it you want?" she asked.

"Where are the Tablets of Ruin?" the lead Minotaur asked. "We know they are here."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Twilight replied. "Now, please leave Ponyville peacefully, if you will."

They didn't budge. Twilight started to flare her horn, charging her magic. Then, one of them, a Griffon, caught sight of Twilight's charcoal rubbings. before Twilight could protest, he had picked them up with a gleaming eye.

"They're here, alright." he laughed. Twilight then realized what they were referring to.

"You mean the tablets I got from Princess Celestia." she murmured. "Why do you want them?"

The crowd turned to her with a hungry gaze. Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow started to back up slowly, preparing themselves for a fight.

"Give them to us, and we will go." one of the Minotaurs said. "Our destiny must be fulfilled, at any cost."

"What destiny?" Twilight asked. "Why do you even need them?"

"Enough stalling, Princess."

Twilight then saw another Griffon enter, wearing black robes and a monocle. He scoffed as he glared at the Princess.

"Bind them." he scowled. "Make them speak. If they will not give us the Tablets, we will take them."

Twilight fired a stunning blast at the Griffon, just as the Minotaurs and Griffons fell upon them.

====
Equis Orbit

Orbiter

"Operator, we have arrived." Ordis said. Gheren stood up and looked at the NAV console.

"Strange." he murmured. "There's some kind of beacon coming from this location. It's Orokin in origin."

"Most unusual." Ordis replied. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Gheren programmed the course into his NAV console, and the Orbiter dropped down, out of orbit towards the planet below.

====

"Ordis, what's the atmosphere like?" Gheren asked as his Orbiter soared over a tangled, dark forest.

"It's terran." Ordis replied. "Oxygen, Nitrogen, and various other gases in trace quantities. Perfect for habitation."

"Any hostile presence?" Gheren asked again.

"Not yet." Ordis said. "Though the town up ahead seems like a good place to start."

"Town?" Gheren asked. Ordis highlighted a small settlement on the edge of the horizon. He zoomed in through the Orbiter's HUD, and he frowned.

"Operator, what is it?" Ordis asked.

"We've got a problem." Gheren said. "Set us down, now."

"...As you wish. But...do tell me what's going on."

"Looks like a public execution or something." Gheren said. "Get us close. I'll drop in."

"Understood."

The Orbiter flew towards the town, hiding in a clearing. Gheren retrieved his weapons before jumping to the earth.

"Braton Prime, Rakton Cernos, Aklato Pistols, Sicarus Prime, Dual Skana and Anku. I think I'm set." Gheren said, checking his gear. "Let's go."

As he leaped into the trees, he frowned with anticipation.

====

Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow, knocked out and restrained, were dragged before the rounded-up citizens of Ponyville. The black-clad Griffon held up the tablets, and snarled.

"The Tablets of Ruin!" he proclaimed. "All will kneel before their secrets!"

The ponies murmured anxiously as the Griffon set them in a triangle formation. He took out a pyramid made of white metal, and set it in the center. The tablets began to glow, and three beams of light connected the objects together. As the tablets grew dark, the Griffon took the pyramid, which was now glowing radiantly with prismatic energy.

"Now, the thieves who concealed them shall die!" he roared. As the ponies cried out in anguish, swords were put to Spike, Twilight, and Rainbows' throats.

"Now!" the Griffon cried. As the swords descended…there was a gust of wind, and three cobalt arrows embedded themselves in the executioners' necks, ending their lives.

"Who did that!?" the Griffon roared. "Reveal yourself! NOW!"

Then, there were footsteps. All eyes turned to Gheren Prime, who strode forward while preparing another arrow. His white and blue armor gleamed in the sunlight, and his Syanadana flowed with the wind.

"If you insist." he said quietly. With that, he drew his Skana and charged in, leaping into the air.

Author's Note

Yep, a new story. And yes, you will find out why those Griffons and Minotaurs want the tablets and the pyramid.

Next time-Gheren Prime rescues Twilight, and things go from manageable to very, very worse when a certain Prince of the Crystal Empire shows up...