Forward to Equestria

Sun was shining in the sky, covering the lands of Equestria with it's rays of light. The morning light of the sun laid it's light on the small pond, water reflecting it into the all directions. Near that pond, there was a desk and the chessboard. Black and white chess pieces were scattered among the board, covered with a tall shadow. White, tall alicorn with crown on her head was sitting on a chair with a pillow near the desk. She was playing the white pieces with silence, deep in her thoughts. But she wasn't playing against anyone. There was no one to duel. Playing both sides of chess was on one hoof challenging, but Celestia didn't mind. She didn't came here to win.

She and her sisters sometimes played chess for fun, Celestia always picked the white pieces, and Luna – black. And almost every time the sun alicorn won. It was long ago, before Luna was corrupted by Nightmare Moon, spreading havoc and devastation across all of Equestria and beyond. All because of her mistake. Mistake she will regret making for a thousand years.

Celestia once again opened her eyes, remembering the day of the battle. When she, with aid of nine Elements of Harmony defeated her sister. The day when she banished her, as the Elements vanished without a trace. Sun princess never found them, nor where did they go. But it didn't matter, not now.

"Your majesty?" She heard the voice behind her, and saw one of her guards in golden armor. "The Court is ready to start." Ah, the Court. The daily listening to nobles complaining. Celestia sighed heavily, and nodded.

"Understood. Thank you." She said quietly, before standing up from her seat. She looked back at the chessboard, seeing the result of her game. Every chess piece fallen, exept two kings, standing near each other. Tie. She turned her head in the direction of her new palace, and started to walk to it, along with her guard. The sun alicorn and the pony dissapeared behind the doors of the castle, leaving the board alone under the sun.

Rain was falling on the wet ground, stopping fire from going any further. Remains of the battle against the demon.

"I need that gate repaired immediately!" Brown griffon shouted as Braves started to salvage machines, heal, or some even came to somehow fix the gates. War-Chief looked at the gates, then turned his head to the outcast-turned-Seeker. "And you! Get the hay out of here before you'll get more curses on us." Inlight looked at him blankly, and Falcon Claw made his way away. Flame-maned pegasi could only roll his eyes.

"And you're welcome." He said with bitterness, and looked at the thing which interested him the most – unknown machine. He came closer to the dead demon, observing it fully. The heat sink was sliced in half, and the spear was sticking from it. Inlight took the spear by his mouth and put it to where is should be, and turned his look to the part of the machine, the one which took control over them. "You took control of theese machines, but how?" He whispered as he tried to rip part of the carcass which looked like dart launcher. He struck his spear between the body and the weapon, and ripped the weapon out, making it show the inside materials to him. He noticed how one of the parts was glowing with orange, like it was damaged. Inlight turned his Focus, and with curiosity picked it up.

"So you are the one who is responsible for this..." He said his thoughts as he read the data from it. "You can override machines but... you're damaged?" Inlight raised his eyebrow as he looked at the override module. It could work, but now it needed more manual connection. That shoudln't have been a problem, he could sneak up on them! He only needed a workbench to attach it to his spear and the job is done!

"I can't believe you took down THE demon itself! A-are you hurt?" Familiar female voice was heard from behind, and Inlight, in turn, sighed and turned his head.

"No, I am not hurt, just... exausted." Inlight said, which seems to have calmed down Sliver Reef.

"Well, if you say so!" Light-blue hippogriff spoke, and looked at the unknown machine, inspecting it precisely. "Did you even see how that machine released that strange smoke? And how it made everyone stop using their magic?"

"Yeah, I saw it. That's not ordinary machine. The way it took control of those machines? It was... unsettling."

"Maybe if we could copy the technology of taking control of the machines, we can use them in our goals!" Sliver Reef put her talon on her beak, thinking about that invention and it's use.

"Well, I have the thing that controls machines but it wont work as it should.." Inlight started speaking, but was quickly stopped by enthusiastic hippogriff looking at him with sparkling eyes.

"You HAVE!?" She exclaimed exitedly. "How can it work!?"

"I'm still looking into it, but I have to, you know, travel beyond the Sacred Land?" He raised an eyebrow, to which Sliver Reef firmly nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, stay safe out there, okay? I'm going to uncover machine's little secrets..." She softly said before looking down and trying to detach the machine lence. Inlight just gave her his farewells and made his way to the workbench. After some time, he managed to install the override module onto the spear, and trotted to the gates, exiting the settlement. He had the long way to pass, first beyond Embrase, next beyond the Sacred Lands. Overriding a machine and riding it should've been easy, but he had to find the herd of machines first. Inlight walked through the trees and further into the forest, untill he saw the herd of Striders. Some of them probably escaped when the demon attacked, and one of them stood just near the bushes. Perfect opportunity to test the module!

Inlight crawled with the spear into the bushes, closer and closer to the horse-like machine. It was now standing just in front of him, flank turned to Inlight. Flame-maned pegasi took his spear into his hooves, and with override module struck the machine. Suddenly, cables of the machine turned bright blue, and circle arround the module appeared! The circle of light soon became blue as the machine became covered in blue cables, just like before. Inlight opened his mouth out of amazement, and walked out of the bushes. The machine didn't attack him! It was now peaceful!

"It worked!" Inlight spoke, a he looked how Strider was standing still near him. Now, he had to try to mount that thing. Flame-maned pegasi prepared to jump on the back of the Strider, eyes full of determination. He jumped up in the air, and landed on the back of the horse machine. The Strider, in turn, didn't even react, and continiued to stand and watch other machines.

"Well now, how should I make you move?" Inlight questioned and decided to punch the machine with his hooves. And by doing that, he made machine run as fast as it could, faster than Inlight ever was before! He screamed as the machine passed a couple of trees and entered the plain on enormous speeds. After a moment, the machine slowed down, letting flame-maned pegasi sit normaly. Well, atleast he understood how to ride the Strider, and it was awesome. Inlight looked arround the plain, and figured that he had to move to the South Mother's Watch to leave the Embrase. Inlight dirrected himself to the south, and traveled onwards, to the gate.

Getting to the gates wasn't hard, but getting throught the gates was a diferent problem. Nora thestrals and zebras were confused by a Seeker riding an All-Mother dang machine, but they let him through. And the next thing Inlight knew, he was in the territory he only saw from a far distance – the land beyond beyond Embrase. Inlight never been here before, but yet, he moved forward, following the trope. The beauties of this land were beyond what Inlight imagined. The plain was divided by a small river passing through, and on the other side there were Grazers, collecting the dirt with their horns. Beyond the plain Inlight could see giant mammoth-like machines passing through the ruin, transporting the resources inside their containers. Duskshine once told him about the mighty Plowtusks, and how they collected the resources with their four tusks, as big as one pony. Deeper into the ruins, a silhouette of a tall machine with a disc as his head was seen, and Inlight could figure out that those were Tallnecks – enormous machines which walked in circles, giving the way to hunters and machines. But for Inlight Dust, it was mark to Equestria, as beyond it and the ruins had to be one of the Equestrian forts, made as border between Equestria and Sacred Land. Inlight, riding the Strider, saw the safe passage into the Old World ruin, and made it into it, passing the river along.

The city of metal, covered in green. A land of the spires, looking up so high, the snow could appear on them even before the winter would start. Inlight passed what looked like an ancient road, filled with grass and unknown structures, perfect for fitting a pony or anyone similar size. He could only imagine how this place looked before it was abandobed. Probably filled with lights and creatures. But they were long dead, and even machines weren't present in the ruins. Flame-maned pegasi slowly made his way to the ancient building, which more or less looked intact.

"Alright, I'm going for now.." he spoke to the Strider as he mounted off the machine. "Don't go anywhere." He didn't know if machine would listen, or even understand him, but yet, he tried his luck. Inlight opened the doors inside the ruin, and immediately was greeted by some panel, and a lot of shelves behind it. Whatever that place was, it looked curious. Flame-maned Seeker turned on his Focus, in case he finds anything about the Old World or anything else, but to his surprise, he was greeted by a swarm of signals, similar to the signal Focus made! Was this some kind of storage room for those devices? Or even sell them? Inlight's blue eyes ran through the shelves, and a lot of Focuses ready to be used by anyone.

It wouldn't be bad to take some in traveling, if something will go wrong.

Inlight made a little smile, and looked through his pack of pouches, to find an empty, round pouch, enough to fit a couple of triangular devices. One by one, he picked the Focuses and collected them into the pouch, filling it pretty fast. Any of them had data on it.

"Must've been erased..." Flame maned pegasi whispered, as he put the last one in pouch, closing it. "Well then, Inlight the 'Delve-runner', it's time to continiude the journey!" He joked to himself, a he left the ruin. Overriden Strider was still there, waiting for him to come. Seems that they'll wait for master's commands, and wont move if not interupted. It was good to know. But no time to think, as Inlight mounted machine once again, and moved onwards to the mountains of Equestria!

In the clouds of the snow, on the path under the stone arch, a Strider with blue cables walked alongside the pegasus with bow and spear on his back and mane and tail colored like a wildfire. Inlight covered his eyes with hoof to avoid getting blinded by the snow, and he slowly walked towards the Equestrian fortress, and going into the lands of Equestria.

Something was off. Sounds of machines were heard from the outline of the walls, which weren't supposed to be there. Inlight's concern grew faster and faster, and he made his way forward, stopping the companion machine. Machines were heard from all of the snow, and what sounded like the battle. That was not good! Inlight trotted forward, untill he saw the shocking scene – the same demon machine from Sacred mountain and two corrupted Watchers were trying to break inside the Equestrian fortress!

"What the hay it is doing here!?" He exclaimed as he took out the bow and loaded fire arrows on it. Good thing he knew how to fight theese things! Pegasi aimed at the demon machine, and released the arrows immediately, making it set on fire. The Watchers immediately spotted the attacker, and charged at him, but Inlight was fast enough to shoot one of the machines, and picked up the spear, ready to fight. The Watcher jumped from the ground on the pegasi, trying to hit him with it's legs. But yet, no matter how hard it tried, it landed on pure snoe, and before the machine knew, it was pierced by the spear.

"Now to the main target!" Flame-maned pegasi turned his head to the machine, which already released it's heat sink and was moving towards him. That was his chance! Inlight took the spear into his hooves and aimed at the upcomming machine. He threw the spear, making it fly towards the demon and on the heat sink. The small explodion occured on the carcass of the machine, stunning it for a moment. Inlight, in turn, made this moment another way to strike, as he loaded his bow and released a couple of arrows into the machine's eye of angry red. The demon suddenly covered itself with spark and flame, falling to his side and making the red light dissapear completely, marking Seeker's victory.

Inlight walked to his spear to pick it up, passing a couple of dead soldiers by. The demon attacked them before they could get inside. Atleast the suffering wasn't long. Flame-maned pegasi picked up the spear, and moved to the gates, untill he heard a voice from the wall.

"You defeated the machines! Oh, Celestia shines upon us!" A male voice of a soldier was heard.

"It wasn't Celestia risking her life down here... Would you open the gates, please?" Inlight shouted to the guard, on which he happily laughed.

"HA! You heard him, colts! Open those gates!" He commanded other soldiers to open the gates, as he looked down to look at their savior coming to the gates. "Where are you going, Nora?"

"To the southwest, to Canterlot!"

"Canterlot, huh? Well you have a long road ahead of you! But looking at how you killed that machine... you'll make it definetly!"

Inlight just rolled his eyes in answer, and looked how the gates started to open for him. This was it, Equestria was just infront of him, opening it's gates before his eyes. So much has happened in the past few days, and whole other world was waiting. The gatea opened fully, and Inlight Dust, outcast turned Seeker, moved forward.

Forward to Equestria.

Author's Note

I somehow made it to posting!

So here is Inlight, ready to explore the new lands and uncover new mysteries of this world. But will he do it alone whole time?

(Yes, Plowtusks ARE my original machines. Basicaly Plowtusk to Tremotusk is like Plowhorn to Grimhorn, but bigger. If you wondered.)