The sound of train wheels and the rumble of the tracks was what first woke Twilight Sparkle from her sleep. Then it was the poking of her cheek by some unknown figure. Then it was the trumpet blown directly in her ear.

"GAH!" Twilight yelped, hitting the ceiling of the sleeper booth, and then she noticed two things that were out of place or wrong about her current accommodations.

First was that she wasn't in her new castle's bedroom, she was in a train car with her friends and Spike. Second was that she didn't remember boarding a train at all, or being brought to one in her sleep.

"What's going on?" Twilight stammered. "Who blew a trumpet into my ear?"

"Pinkie." chorused four voices, the last one happily replying "Me!"

"Okay...also, why are we on a train? The last thing I remember was going to bed back in my Castle in Ponyville." Twilight continued. "Then, now."

"That would be my fault, Princess Twilight." said Princess Luna as she entered the car, squeezing past Fluttershy and Applejack. "Celestia told me to collect you all and get you on your way as soon as possible. However, by the time I was able to do that, it was quite late...and I had to resort to...more subterfuge-laced methods to bring you here. Rest assured I alerted your various families that you would be leaving."

"So you ponynapped us...with permission?" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. "That sounds kinda weird."

"What's weirder still is where we are traveling to, and what we are undertaking." Luna continued. "We are en route to Fort Sparrow Falls, a Royal Guard training site in the southeastern forests of Equestria.Their Commander, Birdseye, recently contacted us to report a disturbing find."

"What kind of disturbing are we talking about here?" Twilight asked.

"They found something, a large subterranean compound, buried near the aquifer they use for a water supply. Something most certainly...not from Equestria or even Equis as a planet." Luna said. "However, when the scouts attempted to delve deeper into the ruined structure...they were beset upon by hostile, unknown beings."

"Did they...make it out?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

Luna sighed sorrowfully as a response, making the Elements and Spike flinch.

"No. There were no survivors among them, as we found their charred bodies at the entrance of the complex. Whatever killed them is still out there in those ruins, and we intend to bring it to justice. Which is why we need you. All of you"

"Well…" Rainbow Dash nodded, though her voice was unsettled. "Let's get to it, I suppose."

"Right." Twilight added. "Do we know anything about what attacked the Guards?"

"We only know from the autopsy performed on the bodies that it was capable of using beams of direct energy as attacks, much like our magic." Luna replied. "And this energy was precisely directed and powerful enough to pierce their armor and clean through their bodies like it was nothing."

"Oh my." Fluttershy whimpered, Rarity pulling the butter-yellow Pegasus close as reassurance. "That's scary."

"It is." Luna continued. "But we have to act fast if we are going to protect Equestria from whatever this monster is or could be. We should arrive at the fort any moment now. Prepare yourselves."

====

As the Train came to a stop outside Fort Sparrow Falls, the eight of them disembarked and were escorted inside by a team of Lunar Guards. Twilight looked to the side and saw the deceased scouts, their bodies covered in a white cloth and the flags of the Solar Guards and the nation of Equestria.

"Such a shame." Twilight murmured.

"It is." said Commander Birdseye, a pale blue pegasus with a brown mane, as he came forward to join them. He wore Solar Guard's armor, modified for the woodland environment. "Those were some of my best scouts...but they did their duty to the end, that's all I could have asked of them."

"Don't you feel bad for them?" Rarity asked.

"That's part of the job, yes." Birdseye nodded. "But not everyone will make it home at the end of the day. We give peace to the fallen, and go onward. That's the most we can do. The condolence letters can't arrive soon enough."

Birdseye gave a sigh of remorse, and turned to Princess Luna.

"We've got three platoons ready at your word, heavily armed and armored. Some of my best heavy units are with them, too. Whatever this is, we'll find it, and stop it."

"Good." Luna replied. "Where is the entrance to the ruins?"

"This way."

As Birdseye led the group to a massive gate carved into a nearby hill, cordoned off by multiple Guards, Twilight and her friends stood back in awe.

The gate was made from an ivory-colored metal inlaid with gold and bronze, and a strange sigil lay carved into the exact center of the door. There were no flaws or blemishes in the work, and even the dirt above the entrance receded where the metal touched the earth.

"That's actually pretty cool." Rainbow Dash gasped. "Who could've built this?"

"We don't know, Miss Rainbow Dash." Birdseye continued. "But whoever did spared no expense in making sure it lasted."

"Why's that?" Twilight asked.

"Well, that metal may not look the part, but it's tough. It took three teams of drillers, equipped with a tunnel bore enhanced by magic, to make a hole for the scouts." Birdseye continued. "And whenever they stopped drilling to cool the tunnel bore's engine, the metal reformed and sealed the breach. Took several hours to make any progress."

"Then how'd you retrieve the bodies?" Applejack asked.

"That's the creepy part." Birdseye continued. "When we found them, the door was open, and the breach was sealed once again. Once we got the bodies, it closed again. There's something alive in there, and my guess is that's who killed our scouts."

"Well, we're not going to find that out from here." Twilight said. "Let's get inside."

As she approached the door, the ground rumbled. As the Guards advanced with weapons ready, the door shuddered before opening wide, revealing an interior that was just as ornately decorated as the door.

"Let's go." Luna commanded, and the Guards circled around the Elements, Spike, and Luna as they entered. Once they passed through the threshold, the door closed. White lights came on as they proceeded into the passage, all of them unaware they were being watched…

====

Above them, an Oculyst watched the equines march into the complex, its eye sending its visual data to an unknown source. Unlike the Battalysts that had been authorized to kill the scouts, this one was tasked with monitoring their progress and making sure they reached the central court area.

However, the Battalysts that had earlier been active and had killed the scouts were now tasked with patrol duties, and not to engage the intruders. This confused the Oculyst, as there were more armed Guards among them. But its leader had other plans. The Sentient at the heart of this planet wanted to learn more about what had changed in the eons it had been below ground, waiting for this moment as time passed.

The Oculyst, among all the Sentient troops in this complex, had learned to never disobey their leader, or mention it by name. Only those who had defeated it the first time could know it as such.

And they were too far gone to be of any help to the Equines once he would rise and resume his conquest. As the lone Oculyst tracked the intruders, this Sentient had no knowledge of just how wrong they would be.

====
Origin System, Lua, Planetary Orbit.

Aboard an Orokin Orbiter

"Operator, we have received a new message from the Lotus. Shall I play it for you?"

The speaker, a Cephalon by the name of Ordis, flickered slightly at the recipient of the message. A Tenno knelt at the navigation link at the front of the Orbiter, meditating in silence. The Excalibur Prime Warframe was still for a few moments, before it spoke in a quiet, even-toned voice.

"Play the message, Ordis. I'm sorry for spacing out like that."

"No apology is necessary, Operator. But first, are you...ignoring me...alright?"

"I'm fine, Ordis." Excalibur Prime replied. "You may proceed."

"Playing the message now."

"Tenno, listen to me carefully." said the voice of the Lotus. "I have recently intercepted an Orokin colony distress beacon, relayed from beyond the Origin System, dating back to the Old War."

"Though the message is incomplete and damaged from time, it suggests that there is a dormant Sentient on this world, about to reawaken.'

"You and your team are to journey to this world and investigate this beacon, and if the need arises, defend this world from any threat to you. As the Solar Rails are incapable of sending you to this planet, you must utilize your Railjack gunship for transport. I have already notified the Drydock crew to begin preparations for the journey."

"Good luck, Tenno. You may depart when ready."

As the message concluded, the Tenno turned to Ordis.

"You know what to do, Ordis. Initiate Squad Link. Get Emily, Jaycen, Sarah, and Clarke on the line. Initiate a jump to the Drydock. Make sure we can leave as soon as we arrive."

"Of course, Operator." Ordis replied. "Sending Squad Link alert now."

As the Orbiter departed for the Reservoir's Drydock, four other Orbiters joined the formation beside the first.

"Is everyone online?" Excalibur Prime asked as he draped a Syndana, a cape lined with the symbol of the Madurai School in pale green, around his waist. The Syndana's color matched with the Warframe's own, a mixture of pale green, blue, and white patterned in the Excalibur Immortal style.

"I'm here." said Jaycen, a Tenno who used Rhino Prime. "Squad link is active."

"All set." continued Emily, who used Volt Prime.

"Good to go." added Sarah, who used Oberon Prime.

"Ready." finished Clarke, who used Zephyr Prime.

The Orbiters of the five Tenno soon reached the Reservoir's Drydock, where their Railjack Gunship, designated Endeavor, lay in waiting. The Drydock crew had attached a separate energy-tethered capsule to the Gunship, to carry extra ammunition for the turrets and ordinance modules, a fuel core, and containers of spare parts and supplies.

"We all set?" Excalibur asked the Drydock foreman.

"Ready when you are, Tenno." he replied. "I've already made the necessary parts ready to make sure Endeavor can attach to the lead Orbiter. You should have no problem transferring back and forth between ships."

"Thank you." Excalibur replied. "Tenno! Mount up!"

As the Endeavor attached to Excalibur's Orbiter via an energy tether, the Tenno initiated a Void Jump, blasting off into uncharted space, into the beyond.

Author's Note

Man, do I love getitng back into the swing of writing after a long break. Plus, I recently finished The Second Dream quest in Warframe, so this was a long time coming, but satisfying to finish.

Also, I originally had Excalibur Prime as an Excalibur Umbra, but after some additional research, changed it to Prime as the Tenno aren't that far along in the story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!

Next time - The Tenno arrive in Equestria, and the Ponies meet the Sentient known as Charon.