Chapter 5 Myth and Legends

By Shadow-mane
Thanks to Admkline for his editing work.

The entire group was shocked as the pair of white unicorns them moved in perfect tandem, their swords clashing with identical form. Markus was surprised when the two pegasi guards had gotten between him and the two combatants.

"Stay back,” Princess Celestia said warning him. “One of them is a Changeling!"

"Changeling?" Markus said aloud not expecting to get an explanation. He was more surprised that shape-shifters were on this planet.

"Yes they are able to change their shape and form!" Twilight Sparkle said.

Markus was not idle. If anyone had been paying attention they would have seen the eyes of his mask light up, changing from their normal soft red to a bright glowing red, then changing to a blue color and then a white color as he shifted through the vision modes of his mask - Thermal, Electromagnetic, and Tech. As he expected when he brought up Tech vision he could instantly see through the disguise.
Lifting his rifle up and hoping to at least earn some leeway he said "Hey you on my right!"

When the two unicorns lifted their heads to face him he fired off a shot. The rifle issued a loud clank as it fired a ten millimeter projectile shrouded in an electromagnetic shell to supersonic speeds. It impacted the ground at the hooves of the unicorn on his right side making everyone jump back as he fired a second and third time. Each shot forced the unicorn back. The rifle was then pointed at the impostor's head.

"Peek-a-boo! I can see through you!" he said, the smile in his voice apparent.

The shock of the attack had faded and the impostor bared it's now sharp jagged teeth. There was a blast wave of energy that erupted from the false unicorn that knocked everyone back. Markus was flung against a wall and he heard the tell tale snapping of at least three of his ribs.

Hovering in mid air was what appeared to be a cross of an insectiod and an equine. It was black with a bent and crooked horn and insect like wings. Its mane and tail were an almost sickly teal color. Looking around he could see the two princess alicorns in some form of crystalline cage.

"It's Chrysalis!" Shining Armor yelled in anger.

"Not again!" Celestia said as Luna struggled to try and free herself.

Markus had hit the limit of his painkillers. He couldn't have anymore before they started harming his body. It was at that point the alarm on his wrist computer had started to go off. He saw an alert that told him that his Pod had been uncovered and was now being elevated and transported away.

"It makes no difference. Now that I have the craft from the stars. I'll learn what ever secrets it holds
and use it to conquer Equestria!" Chrysalis' tone was one of cruelty and maliciousness.

Unable to risk the contents of that pod escaping. Lifting his left hand up he flipped up the emergency lock on his wrist computer and then hit two buttons. A steady beeping started. "Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged!" she snarled.

"I just activated the self destruct for my craft. In one minute thirty seconds it's going to explode unless it's set down on the ground and vacated at once." Everyone was shocked as he spoke.

"You're bluffing!" she screamed in a rage

"Once it reaches ten seconds it can't be stopped."

He started a countdown at the one minute mark. The entire group was in a stalemate as the counting continued. It was as if a game of chicken was being played between two pegasi as they flew at each other to see who would veer off first. Despite the pain he felt he continued counting down, finally reaching the twenty-five second mark, twenty, fifteen, and then ten.

She had called his bluff and she had been wrong. Instead of saying zero Markus said "Detonation". Not one second later the Everfree Forest was rocked by a second explosion. The escape pod had strategically placed explosive charges exploded, ripping through the escape pod's computer systems, tearing apart the engines and blowing the entire pod into shrapnel. There had been over twenty changelings transporting the pod when it exploded with a force three times of it's impact. Pieces of
metal tore through most of the changelings ripping their bodies to shreds. Others were incinerated. Those that escaped these fates were blown to pieces.

The shock of what had just happened had stunned everyone. Even Chrysalis was shocked, but her shock turned to rage as she screamed"You murderer!" She stopped channeling the magic that kept Celestia and Luna trapped as her eyes glowed a deep sickly green. An old spear was picked up and then hurled at Markus. The force of the blow knocked him back into a wall as the pointed tip tore through his armored suit, penetrating his right side as his blood splattered onto the ground.

The attack had broken everyone out of their trance. Celetsia, Luna, Twilight and Shining Armor combined their magic firing a bolt of mystic energy at Chrysalis in an attempt to destroy her. She screamed in pain as she was blown from the sky and knocked into the forest. "I'll have my revenge!" was her mental scream to everyone.

The entire group of ponies came over as Fluttershy said, "We have to help him!"

"But he said he could be carrying a plague!" Rarity said.

"He said he might be. And his suit has been ripped open so it's a moot point now," Celestia said. "Stay here for a moment, Luna. When I summon you you, Twilight, Rarity and Shining Armor teleport the entire group into the castle to my location." Celestia then closed her eyes as she teleported away.

The guards came up to pick up the rifle Markus had used to force Queen Chrysalis away from Shining Armor as the summons was given. The drain on Luna's magic was lessened thanks to all the unicorns aiding her to teleport them to Canterlot. The room they appeared in was fairly large and the walls held a shimmering glow around them. Twilight and Luna quickly identified the protection spell cast on the room.

"A quarantine spell?" Luna asked.

"Yes. If by some chance he is carrying something it will not escape this room, nor should anything in our world bring him harm." Celestia explained as a number of white unicorn doctors came up and with the aid of the guards began to move Markus to the bed where they could tend him. It was at that point that Luna and Celestia began ushering out everyone to allow the doctors to do their work as best they could. That and the Cutie Mark Crusaders shouldn't have had to see more then was needed.

************

After the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been taken home by the guards hours had passed. Everyone was tired and subdued, even the normally hyper Pinkie Pie, but she was still a bundle of energy. As the Element of Laughter she had done her best to keep everyone's spirits up. And for her that meant games, a large number of games like checkers and chess. Luna was extremely perturbed as Pinkie had beaten her three games in a row. Being beaten was not what had her annoyed though. It was the fact that the pink mare had kept up her usual scattered brained approach and had been able to focus on at least two other game of checkers and the chess game and still beat Luna in less then ten minutes.

Another way she had kept their spirits up was pointing out that he was a member of a highly advanced race and surely had to be very tough to survive as much as he had. Celestia however had held her tongue on how extreme his injuries were. More importantly, she knew what species he was.

The doors to the room where the unicorn doctors had been working finally opened. A stallion and a mare came out, exhausted, the purplish barrier wrapping around them as they stepped through. At first everypony thought the worst when the stallion said "We've done everything we can. The rest is up to whatever strength he has left. He's lost nearly half the blood in his body and he wouldn't respond to any healing magics. We had to use simple mending spells. Thankfully he responded to the medicines we applied to keep him sedated though we had to use enough to knock out a cow three times his weight."

Pinkie Pie of course had cheered as she tried to run it into the room where Markus was. She was stopped by the stallion doctor.

"NO." he said in a firm voice blocking her path. "He is still heavily sedated and extremely weak."

"Y'all have any more of dat dere sedative?"

"We do, why?" the mare doctor asked as Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity looked at Pinkie Pie only to be met with a firm stare from Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy.

"No!"

Oblivious to the intended use of the sedative, Pinkie looked to Twilight and Fluttershy as she asked, "What?"

"No Pinkie, you can't go in like that. He needs his rest and his sleep."

"But I wanna see him without his mask on!" she pouted. Everypony looked at each other. Even they couldn't deny their curiosity to know what he really looked like.

"Doctor can we see him?" Luna asked.

Biting his lips the stallion said adamantly, "Stay quiet, and do not disturb him."

As the group was about to go in there was a loud shout. "Auntie Celestia, Auntie Luna!"

Luna and Celestia gave a mental sigh as their nephew Prince Blueblood came up with an almost angry look to his eyes. "Is it true some monster from outer space has been captured in the Everfree Forest aiding the Changelings?" The misinformation their nephew had propagated by now would need some serious damage control.

Celestia approached as she said, "No he was not aiding the Changelings, but he was hurt...."

"It's here in the castle and not in the dungeons?! For all we know it's could be leading it's race to conquer us!" He was utterly shocked at the realization that the alien wasn't being caged.

When his eyes drifted past the unicorn doctors was when Luna stepped up. She shocked everyone when she scolded Prince Blueblood, it was very rare for her to act with authority during the day which was Celestia's domain.

"That is enough nephew!" The anger in her voice was clear. Luna was a bit more aggressive and firm then Celestia was. "We shall discuss this along with everything you have heard and told other ponies later! Now is not the time! Return to your duties this instant, and speak no more."

Turning to his Aunt Celestia to try and gain some leeway, Luna stomped her hoof on the ground and said "NOW!"

Her voice made Blueblood lay his ears back as he started to walk backwards. "I suggest posting guards at his room to make sure he doesn't escape!" Blueblood turned tail and ran as Luna turned around, more
than a bit tired as everyone gasped at the sight of the slitted eyes of Nightmare Moon.

"What?"

"Were the eyes really needed Luna?" Celestia asked her sister.

"Oh!" She blinked and her eyes were back to normal. "If it gets my point across. I still can't believe you let him grow up to be a spoiled brat. You're too nice for your own good sometimes 'Tia."

Approaching the princesses Shining Armor swallowed. "Might I suggest posting guards as the prince suggested? As much as he has shown his intent is to not cause harm, we honestly don't know of his true
intent. It will at least keep nosy ponies away to let him recover properly."

Neither Princess Celestia nor Luna could argue with that logic. Celestia said, "Very well Captain."

"Doctor what is your prognosis?" Luna asked genuinely concerned.

It was the mare who spoke up, "His body refused to respond to all but the simplest of spells so we are going to fall back on old pony wisdom. Keep the fever down, let the body heal its self."

"Can we see him?" she asked.

"As long as you don't disturb him. I just wish I knew something of his people. There are... similarities to us... but yet he's so different."

The doctors allowed the group to enter. Applejack bopped Pinkie on the head with her hoof as she walked past. Pinkie understood as she seemed to settle down. As the group entered they looked upon the figure laying on the bed. A number of them gasped, a few where shocked and the sight was enough to make even Pinkie Pie settle down. The figure had no fur on his face. Part of his pale cheek was covered in bruises and his right eye was bandaged. He had what looked like a brown mane on his head. Blood had started to flow from the nose on his flat face . The mare doctor came over to clean it up as his breathing seemed to have all but stopped. His arms lay above the covers that covered his body. On each forearm was a device; on the left forearm the device was a little flat and extended two and a half inches. On his right arm was a more block like attachment that was three inches off his forearm, three inches wide and had three slots in the front near his hand.

They relaxed as they noticed Markus' subtle breathing. Looking him over, it was Twilight Sparkle who gave voice to the scene.

"Princess..... he looks... human."

The two alicorn sisters looked at each other then to Twilight as Rarity spoke.

"Twilight, humans are ....." she opened her eyes and looked at the figure laying on the bed, "Myth and fantasy?"

"All myths and legends have a basis in fact," Celestia said.

"Myth or not... if there is information that might be linked to his species..."

"We will need to consult our private archives,” the stallion doctor interrupted “but there may not be much. But for now our guest needs his rest."

With that Celestia slowly ushered everypony out. Once the door was shut the princess turned to the guards who had come.

"Make sure that only the doctors are allowed to come and go. And make sure to keep my nephew Blueblood out. If his people come for him, I do not feel like explaining to them why he died from undue stress." The slight anger in her tone made them all on edge. The whole ordeal had left
everypony tired.

As the door was locked Celestia said, "You should all get some rest. Luna and I need to consult our private archives. There might be more on the myth of humans."

"Your private archives Princess?" Twilight asked innocently.

"Yes, archives that contain records accumulated from many thousands of years before Tia was ever born." Luna explained. "Neither of us are looking forward to that job. Twilight, you are your friends should go get some rest. It is Nightmare Night and you have all earned some rest and enjoyment. If we learn of anything that you should know, rest assured you will be informed."

Despite the politeness it was clear that Twilight and her friends were being dismissed. But Twilight had to ask "Princess, will you at least tell us what the Blade of Forest is?"

Realizing that the question couldn't be avoided, Celesita said "Myth says it is one of five magic blades that is said to predate the creation of the Elements of Harmony. The elemental blades were said to
be used in combating various forces that threatened our world. When the Elements of Harmony were either discovered or created, the blades were sealed away, never to be drawn again. Our original castle was built around the Blade of Forest."

"According to the myth the five blades were Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and Forest." Luna explained.

"But... who created them?" Asked Twilight.

Looking at each other the two princesses sighed as Celestia said softly "According to myth? Humans."