Rain Hell From on High

As Applejack finished going around Ponyville, she had collected a list of all the damages. Still, she wondered how Twilight and Starlight were. Wondering what they found, and what could possibly cause such a blast. For mere kicks, she figured she'd wander around and double check the town. Just as she began her second round, She saw a rainbow trail emerge from the over the forest, headed for the hospital. Figuring Rainbow was headed for Twilight, She galloped as fast as her legs could carry her.

As AJ ran, she noticed the Wonderbolts, A platoon of guards pulling carts, and Princess Luna, all also headed for the hospital. Picking up the pace, She galloped as hard as the Running of the Leaves all those years ago. As she galloped, she noticed a crack in the town fountain, stopped, and noted in down; Then carried on, not stopping until she reached the hospital's front door. Dashing in, she overheard RD telling the Princesses what she and the Wonderbolts found.

"You think it may be counting down?" Starlight asked. "It could be levitating in that chamber for a reason."

"What might be countin' down Sug'?" AJ interrupted, panting. Twilight explained to AJ everything that had been happening throughout the day, even that of the small alien being that died nearly 30 minutes ago. "Shoot... Y'all mean to say aliens are real? And that what we saw was their spaceship crashing?" she asked disbelievingly.

" 'Fraid so AJ." Starlight said.

"You think they have any ray guns Twilight?" Spike asked enthusiastically, making everypony else smile as they rolled their eyes.

"I don't know Spike. Maybe they do, Maybe they don't." Twilight said, unsure. "Only way we can tell is if that one in the Recovery ward wakes up."

"We do hope he is well..." Luna added, concerned. When word of this got out, all of Equestria would be flipped on it's head. On a more personal level, Luna's world had especially been tossed around. She controlled the moon and stars, yet here she sat, with proof that there was life beyond Equis in a room just down the hall. She began to wonder if everything was all worth it. Was all her work for naught? Was Celestia's? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hooves galloping towards her.

"Princesses!" Nurse Redheart barked. "Your patient! He's awake!"

***===========***

*Reboot complete*

*Left Ear permanently damaged. Currently functioning at 60%*

*Left arm damaged. Find replacement. Priority medium*

*Left leg damaged. Find replacement. Priority Urgent*

*Left Kidney removed. Recommend Rest period of 1 month.*

*Punctured Lung repaired. Recommend rest period of 2 months*

*Broken/Cracked ribs repaired. Recommend rest period of 4 months*

*Concussion in Healing process. Recommend rest period of 1 month*

*Visor repaired. Activating Visual sensors....*

*Visual sensors functioning at 100%*

*Translation program at 35%*

*Voice module error*

My right ear twitched as I heard what sounded like the clapping of coconuts... Huh... Since when am I on R&R? Odd. Wait... Translation program? I have one of those? Well I was designed as a domesticated security guard of sorts, so it makes sense that I would be able to quickly learn and understand new languages. I wonder what language it picked up.

lifting my right arm, I noticed I couldn't. Huh... Odd. Turning my head, I saw the most unusual things. What appeared to be a small white horse, with a nurse's cap on her head, a stethoscope around her neck, and a red cross surrounded by little hearts on her flank, just before her pink tail. Wow... This planet must have been colonized LONG before we got here... Then why did they send us down here? Were we sent to squash a rebellion?

"H-hello?" I asked, noticing the error in my Voice module. My voice came out all... distorted and static-y. No wonder she screamed and ran out of the room. Well... That happened. Gently pushing myself up, I noticed an IV needle sticking out of my right arm. My left leg was missing just below the knee, and my left handpaw was malfunctioning beyond repair. Reaching over with my right arm, I undid the latch attaching my left leg to my waist, causing the leg to fall to the floor with a metallic clank. It was then I noticed that same clapping noise. Strange. Looking up, I was quite surprised. There were a bunch more of the small horses, and two large horses. All looking at me in confusion and surprise.

Tilting my head in confusion, I lifted my right arm in a gentle wave of 'hello'. A small winged lizard, standing on the back of a small, purple horned horse, waved back. But... Why did the white and blue horses have jewelry? From what appeared to be tiaras, giant necklaces, My scanners showed that the White horse wore gold, while the smaller blue one wore Obsidian. strange but whatever.

"Hello?" My distorted voice came out again. "I am 682. Have you seen my brothers around?" I asked calmly, trying to seem as small a threat as possible. What came out of their mouths sounded alot like neighing and whinnying, with a musical quality to it... what the hell? My translator set to work, detecting actual words like 'friend' and 'hospital'; but that was all. Pity. I noticed a small pinkish horned pony begin to physically turn green, pointing a hoof at my discarded leg. I shrug and hop down onto my good leg, leaning against the wall for support.

I was surprised when an alert appeared on my HUD.

*Warning. 9 hours until drop ship anti-matter core detonation!*

Bugger... Looking down at my right wrist mounted computer, I tell my headset to give off the Prime audio pulses. Waves of sound basically. Not loud enough to hurt or stun. Just to tell them something.

The pulsing sound bursts were designed to see which beings of a new planet were intelligent. If they were, they would add a final number. Starting with two pulses, then three, five, when I hit seven, I saw the small purple and pink ones eyes widen, and begin whinnying and neighing excitedly to the others in the room. I wish I knew what they were saying in whole but I only caught words like 'Communication' and 'Prime'. I decided to stop at the eleventh pulse, and waited on them to respond.

I was pleasantly surprised this time when the pink one's horn lit up and begin imitating the same pulsing sound... thirteen pulses; Good. Waving the pink and purple ones over, I pointed at my black visor. Images appeared, such as a vague outline of a Protogen. Then I added an x with two slash marks. Trying to convey that there were two of us. They looked at each other and I couldn't help but notice the solemn looks as one spoke. Again, I don't entirely know what they said; but the sad looks and the word 'Gone' was heard in my ear.

Dammit... 753... I'm sorry little brother...

The word 'Name' popped up in my earpiece. I shook my head as my ears lowered. I pointed at a crutch looking item leaning against the wall. Who knew these beings had telekinesis? Placing it under my left arm, I asked them to take me to my fallen friend. Turning around, they led me to an operating room with a being, slightly shorter than me under a white sheet. Lifting the sheet, I asked my sensors to scan him. Poor kit drowned in his own lungs, and was bleeding from the heart... seems their doctor missed a piece of shrapnel. I don't blame them. Opening my visor, I tug at the release mechanism for my voice module. Ripping it out, I opened his. Our major body parts, such as limbs and our mechanics, voice modules for example, are all interchangeable. Pulling out his voice module, I installed it into my visor and closed it.

*New voice module detected. Setting for user 682...*

*Installation complete*

Leaning down and pointing back at my visor, I show the outline of my drop ship falling and crashing. Then a countdown clock. The purple one began to look worried as she tilted her head in confusion. Making the countdown clock reach zero, it showed the drop ship turning into a giant mushroom cloud. I added the sound effect of an explosion for extra emphasis.

They began to look panicky and scared, looking back especially and a small blue horse with a rainbow colored hairdo... Probably the strangest thing I've seen all day. I then pointed back at my visor, regaining their attention. I showed again, the outline of a Protogen, this time I emulated damaged limbs. They watched in attention as I showed them that my limbs were removable. They escorted me outside, much to the irritation of a bown horse with a stethoscope around his neck.

As I hobbled out, I saw eight wagons, all but two were full of dead bodies. I quickly found a replacement arm, much to the natives disgust, then a new leg. I watched, surprised as the purple horse literally vanished in a pop of purple light, only to reappear a moment later with my damaged leg. I tossed the crutch to the brown doctor horse, and began to look around.

Horses with horns, wings, three with both, and alot more with neither... Where the hell did we land? Pointing at my visor, I gestured to the crashed ship outline. Then I physically pointed in almost every direction. The blue and rainbow colored one pointed to the forest in the east. I couldn't help myself, and took off into the forest. I had to get that core as far away from this town as I could.

***==========***

"Hey wait! Come back!" Twilight yelled, taking to the sky, followed quickly by Celestia, Starlight, R.D and AJ. Luna however stayed to give orders to the guards that the wagons must be taken to Canterlot for study before flying off.

Twilight did her best to keep up but more often than not found herself flying ahead of the being, fresh out of surgery and recovery. Quickly figuring she could guide him, She stayed ahead and corrected his course, astounded at how quickly he could run, and how easy he seemed to be running despite cardio damage, according to the doctor's report anyway. Another thing that seemed astounding was how he never lost pace, or slowed down for a breath. Even AppleJack slowed to a stop to breathe; only to be picked up by Luna. As the group moved through the woods, AppleJack and Celestia both finally saw the smoking wreckage; at a clear loss for words.

"Fascinating, isn't it sister?" Luna asked. "I have heard rumors of groups that say there is life beyond our world, but to see irrefutable proof... I'm still at a loss." She said with hesitant excitement.

"But I still wonder what has caused our visitor to run back here. Could the guards have missed something in their sweep?" The white alicorn responded, her voice a mix of curiosity and fear.

"He said that it's going to explode soon." Starlight answered, levitating next to them.

"What makes you say that? I never heard him say anything." Rainbow skeptically butt in. "Besides, how can he speak or even see with that mask on?"

"I don't understand either Rainbow. But he can see." Celestia said, stopping the argument before it could gain anymore ground. "But I am still wondering as to how you know that Starlight."

"Pictographs" She responded calmly. "His mask can show pictures. And one was of that space ship, a countdown clock, and a big explosion." At this, Rainbows eyes suddenly went wide as plates, her pupils shrank to pinpricks, and her ears shot back.

"Oh buck... it's going to explode!" Rainbow said in a panic, and took off towards the ship.

As Rainbow flew towards the ship, the new being cleared the ledge leading into the crater the ship left on it's impact. Hopping down, he slid down the hill and headed towards the open hatch on the side, following the rainbow trail in the air leading to the engine room in the back. The light bar beneath was 1/4th gone, and shrinking. Rainbow looked over at the creature, then at the small cylinder.

"Is that what's going to explode?" She asked hesitantly, as the other ponies carefully entered the room. Tapping his mask, he inclined his head or all to see. Images appeared of the small black ball making the ship fly, but then changed. If the small ball touched the sides of its chamber, it would explode. If it touched a pony's hoof or magic, it would explode.

"So what should we do?" AJ asked nervously. "I don't much like bein' in the same room as somethin' that's about to go explode..."

The ponies watched as he gently pulled wires and carefully lifted the cylinder out of it's pocket, only to set it down on a level part of the floor. Pointing at his visor, some images appear of a map, and a pen. Celestia responded by producing a map of Equestria, and a quill with an ink pot. Shocked but otherwise still moving, the visitor opened the map, then shrugged pointing at random spots on the map.

"We are here." Luna said, pointing to the far side of the patch of green near the middle. Watching the new being crouch and appear to think, he then pointed to the cylinder. His visor showed a mushroom cloud, and then drew a circle around the location that Luna indicated; Then cross-thatched everything within the circle. Ponyville, Everfree Forest, Canterlot, White Tail Wood, Cantershade, all were within the circle.

"Are you saying... that if that goes off... ALL of this will be destroyed?" Starlight asked, visibly shaking; Receiving only a nod in response. "H-how much longer do we have?"

His visor lit up again. This time, a twelve hour clock with a red line lining it. By the circle, it had 8 hours and 20 minutes remaining.