Armored Core: Failure

Chapters

Chapter 1: Failure
Chapter 2: Fragility of the Dream
Chapter 3: Rumor
Chapter 4: Skylight--Dawn of Day 2
Chapter 5: 180--Day 2
Chapter 6: Exhibition--Evening of Day 2

Chapter 1: Failure

*****Chapter 1: Failure*****

//----------//RECIEVING//----------//
Line Ark Transmission: Priority 1
Mercenary Contract Request Form
Pilot Name: Liam
Core Name: Failure
Head: [REDACTED]
Core: EKHAZAR
Arms: 03-AALIYAH/A
Legs: LG-LANCEL
AP: 39388
Color Scheme: PRI-Tan; SEC-Black
Emblem: LOGO//NEXT-Failure
Mission Outline: New terrorist faction has taken a foothold in decommissioned power plant.
Primary Objective: Eliminate enemy presence in the region.
Secondary Objective: Observe enemy activity for signs of unknown Kojima-based technology. --Speculated to be shield generators--
Tertiary Objective: Retrieve Kojima-based equipment if found.
Reward For Satisfactory Completion: 1,000,000c

//Addendum: This comes from the top, kid. Your brother said no. That's right, HE said no. I know exactly who you are, what you've done, and we want you. Who knows. . . complete the mission with satisfactory results and we may just hire you for keeps. Not to mention success where your own brother was too afraid to go.//
//----------//END TRANSMISSION//----------//

I read the notification more times than I could count. . . 100, 1000, it didn't matter anymore. Ever since my older brother hit the Mercenary scene a couple years back, contracts were nearly impossible to come by. I had become a burden on my loved ones, namely, my mother, Sharice. I lived with her on a Cradle, a giant flying city. My money was dwindling fast, and so I had to save it for the one thing that mattered most to me, my NEXT. It wasn't anything over the top, granted, it was an impressive machine. The only gift I ever received from my brother was the head I used, the same model that was employed in the legendary White Glint.

My other special equipment, or rather, weapon, was a design by my father. A katana, upsized and modified for use with a NEXT, was mounted to Failure's hip. I had a similar sword, an old family heirloom, that I wore practically everywhere. The two weapons were the only things my father left me, deciding to use his money to pay for my brother's first NEXT when he decided to enter the Merc business. I was fine with it, it wasn't like I wanted a NEXT or anything.

Liam sighed, pushing himself up from the chair in front of the console. He had already sent his reply, glad for the chance to do some work for once, even if he had denied the contract. There weren't many rules around his mother's house, take out the garbage, save water. . . there was one more. . . OH, tell her when he was going out on a potentially deadly mission.

"MA!" he shouted, glancing throughout the small apartment that they shared.

"In here, honey," came a sweet voice from the bedroom. Liam entered, his heart dropping a bit at the scene. She was old, well getting there anyway, even if she insisted that she still had the energy of a 21 year old.

Liam forced a smile, noting the pitiful state of the room. She lied on her normal bed, which was just barely long enough to hold the 5'6'' woman. Next to it sat a dirty mattress, the one he slept on. They didn't have the money to upgrade to one of the suites, which could run upwards of 6,000c a month, so they had to settle on this single bedroom dump.

"I just got a contract offer from Line Ark," he said, the smile turning genuine as his mother perked up a bit, "Shouldn't be too difficult, just some nut jobs hanging around an old power plant that he has already cleared out a couple times. Decent payday also, we'd be able to upgrade for a while at least. Not to mention that L.A. is hinting at a permanent employment option if I do well."

His brother had cut all ties with his family after their father's death. It was that pain, Liam supposed, that drove him to do so well with all of his contracts.

Liam's mother perked up a bit, taking a breath to speak before breaking down into a violent fit of coughing. She regained her composure, taking a breath to steady herself before replying, "That sounds wonderful, Liam. I hope for nothing but the best for you, you know that. Just promise me you'll be safe. I know our family history, hell, I used to be your father's Operator, but you don't want to hear ancient history I suppose."

Sharice let out a rough chuckle before continuing, "I know that you named your NEXT Failure. I don't know why, and I don't care too much. It's a better choice than naming it 'Lucky', or some other cliché garbage like 'Death's Messenger', but know this: a NEXT's name is more than just a name, it's a reflection of your heart and soul. I know you aren't a failure, your father knew too. You're destined to go far, and maybe one day you and your brother will set aside your differences and work together. The two of you would be unstoppable, you know."

"Ma, I know my limits, I know his. They aren't even in the same galaxy. I just need to do this so I can afford to keep my NEXT," he sighed, "And get you the help you need, in the place you want to live."

His mother frowned at him, "I'm healthy as a horse. You worry about you, I'll worry about me. Money is one thing, but don't you dare think yourself any less of a LYNX than your brother, because you're already better for not dropping off the radar like he did."

She held her arms toward him, and he stepped forward. They shared a short embrace, Liam shuddering on the inside at how frail she seemed. He knew she wasn't going to last much longer if he didn't get help, but doctors wanted hundreds of thousands of credits these days, and that wasn't something that he had access to without Line Ark's contract.

He sighed, turning towards the door before looking over his shoulder, "Bye, mom. I love you, you know."

Sharice beamed at her son, "I love you too, Liam, and so does your father."

He wanted to say more, to tell her that he would be fine. He could tell she'd seen the apprehension on his face, and he could see the worry on hers, but he wasn't in the position to make promises he couldn't keep. This was live combat, after all.

Liam grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and his duffle bag from the corner of the living room. Within it was his piloting suit, a complicated array of circuitry and neural sensors woven into a spandex body suit. It was completed with a white helmet, sporting his logo on the back and a full face visor that served double as a display for the NEXT's cameras.

He drained the water bottle, tossing it into the sink to refill when he returned, and opened the door to head to the hangar. The hallways were cramped, but mostly deserted since most residents preferred to stay in their homes. Liam came to an elevator, depressing the button as the gears whirred inside the shaft, lifting the metal box up to his level.

When it opened, Liam hesitated before entering. Already in the elevator was a woman. Not just any woman, though, this woman was special. Catherine, the girl of his dreams, and a friend since they were old enough to walk. His palms began to sweat a bit as he entered, of course, he could wade through hordes of enemy Normals any day, but when faced with an attractive member of the fairer sex, he was rendered ineffective.

"Hey Li," she chirped happily, "Long time, no see!"

She stepped forward, enveloping the LYNX in a hug.

"Y-Yeah, heh, long time," he stuttered, "Where're you headed?"

"Oh I'm headed to the atrium, there's a few trees that aren't doing so well, and I want to make sure they got watered today." She seemed depressed about the trees, and for good reason. She was this Cradle's premier botanist, a dying art in an apocalyptic wasteland. "Speaking of heading, where are you off to with that gear?" she eyed him for a moment, casting a meaningful glance at his piloting gear.

Liam scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "I got a contract from Line Ark. Gotta clear a few terrorists out of an old nuclear power plant and recover some new kind of Kojima tech junk."

Catherine sighed, looking him in the eye, "You know, one of these days you're not going to come back from 'a few terrorists'." She placed a hand on his shoulder, holding eye contact, "I just want you to come back safe, alright?"

"Cat," he sighed, trying to find the right words. "I just. . . I need the pay to get a doctor to check on my mom, you know that. Not to mention that there's enough on the line with this mission to move into one of the nice suites for a while, and a possible permanent pos-"

He was cut off mid sentence when Catherine wrapped a hand around the back of his head, pulling him into a deep kiss as his mind tripped, stumbled, and then fell all over itself. He sighed through his nose, leaning into the kiss as his brain simply stopped trying to figure everything out. They stayed that way for what felt like hours, but in reality it was only about a minute.

The elevator dinged, notifying the pair that it had reached the NEXT hangar. Catherine pulled back, tears on her cheeks as she looked in his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me, Li?"

He snorted, "You're too good for me, Cat. I couldn't ever bring myself to say anything."

A light slap was his reward, making him flinch before tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Li, I had the same problem with you. . . Just come back alive, that's all I want," she let out a raspy chuckle before planting another quick kiss on his lips. "There's more than credits on the line now, right?"

She pulled a gold pocket watch, complete with chain, and pressed it into his hand. "Here, my mom told me that this is what my dad gave her when he asked her to marry him. She wanted me to give it to someone special some day. When you get back. . . well, I think we've put things off for long enough."

Liam closed his hand around the watch, catching Cat's hand in his. He smiled, leaning forward and kissing her one more time before pulling away and jogging across the hangar to his NEXT.

"Ahem," Twilight cleared her throat with a small cough, gaining both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia's attentions. She replaced the hoof on the ground, smiling shyly at her mentor and her sister.

Luna rolled her eyes subtly, not liking the idea of being cooped up in Canterlot while Twilight and her friends got to go on an adventure. She turned, walking out of the room as Celestia whispered behind her, "Trust me, little sister."

Twilight walked forward, "You wanted to see me? To give me a test?" She smiled at Luna as she walked by, looking bored. "I brought my own quills, and plenty of paper to show my work," Twilight said, spilling the contents of her saddlebags and spouting apologies at Celestia as she sheepishly began to roll up a 30 foot piece of parchment before it was encased in her teacher's golden glow.

"This, is a different kind of test," Celestia replied, appearing downcast for a moment before explaining further, "The Crystal Empire has returned."

"Line Arc Operator here, call sign Angel," came a bored sounding female voice from the radio. "Looks like we'll be working together today, LYNX."

"Sounds good," Liam replied, ensuring that the NEXT's inertial dampeners were working and that he was strapped into the cockpit securely. The last thing any LYNX wanted was to be tossed around like a ragdoll and splattered across the cockpit interior when they used their boosters.

"Sending in coordinates now, should be a short flight from that Cradle," Angel droned.

"Yeah, sounds like it," he replied, mirroring her enthusiasm perfectly.

The NEXT stomped forward, positioning itself in front of the massive framework supporting his only Vanguard Over Boost module. Various thuds could be heard through the hull of the NEXT as the supports were latched on. Liam took a glance around the hangar, spotting several other NEXTs that were in storage. This Cradle was a military model, built to support the machines while their pilots waited for contracts or an attack. That was the main reason nobody messed with the ship, as they'd be up against about 20 of the most effective tools of war ever created. It was also made to keep the pilots and other Kojima contaminated citizens away from the 'clean' population.

Liam checked the responsiveness of his arms before grabbing the offered assault rifles from their lifts. His adrenaline was already pumping, and he was eager to get underway. The techs gave him the green light, signaling that he was all set as he thumbed the boost controls.

The entire 'mech shook as the liquid fueled rocket motors ignited, blasting him down the short runway and out the front of the Cradle. His NEXT shot its arms out front, legs behind, to be more aerodynamic. He worked the foot pedals, turning to the correct heading before engaging the second stage motors and shattering the sound barrier. He was currently at 30,000 feet, plenty of space for his high altitude drop, but what worried him was the recon that he was supposed to do.

Liam had poured over the provided maps, noticing immediately that there was very little cover in the area around the nuclear power plant. In fact, his best bet would be to simply use the altitude to drop into the cooling tower before setting his main booster to hover and let his sensors do the work. Intel on enemy resistance was sketchy at best, a few Normals had been spotted, a turret or two, but remarkably small for such a large payday.

He could already see the plant below, the massive cooling tower shooting out of the planet, reaching towards the sky above. Thumbing the release control for the Vanguard module, the rocket motors shattered behind him, raining down to the ground miles away from the combat zone. Using his own boosters, Liam began his descent into the cooling tower to wait.

"*static* . . . Ange- - Comm.- -," his headset was filled with static as he slapped the radio control, cutting off the Operator's channel and leaning back into his seat.

He sighed, the mission was complicated enough as it was, now with his comms being jammed. . . he'd have to do it without an Operator.

The neurofibers in his suit picked up the movement, throttling down the boosters as they mirrored his own intentions. A faint flash caught his attention, and he flexed his abs to activate the NEXT's forward facing engines in a quick boost to bring him to a halt. As he did so, a sniper cannon shell flew right past his face, stunning him for a moment before a familiar voice invaded his ears.

"Long time, no see. . . Brother."

Author's Note

And here it is. Been bugging me for quite some time, and I just had to get it out of my head. Let's see what happens, eh?

Chapter 2: Fragility of the Dream

*****Chapter 2: Fragility of the Dream*****

"Long time, no see. . . Brother."

Liam tensed up, cutting power to Failure's boosters. The Mech plummeted from the sky, grinding to a halt mere feet above the ground. His brother's NEXT stood before him, a veritable fortress in and of itself. Massive tank treads sank into the concrete under its immense weight, and light blue sparks arced across the armor.

His brother spoke first, "So I see Line Ark finally found someone to do their dirty work."

A sigh escaped Liam's lips, "Yeah, it would seem so."

"So why are you here?"

"I'm here for the pay. A million credits is quite a bit."

He laughed, "And what did they tell you? That there were some rag-tag terrorists planning to destroy the earth?"

"Hardly," Liam chuckled, "You know, bro, mom isn't doing so good. This payday could very well save her life."

The comms went quiet for a few seconds, as his brother digested that information.

Liam heard a sigh as his brother continued in a saddened tone, "Yeah, well, you always were her favorite. Too bad I cut ties, eh?"

"Why? You know what she told me before I left? She told me that she hoped we could work together someday. That we could be an unstoppable team, and really do some good in this God-forsaken wasteland."

He sounded amused, "Hmm, that would be interesting. It really amazes me, that after all this time she still holds on to hope," he sighed. "It's too bad really, I don't think there's any way I could return to a normal life. I've taken down Arms Forts, other NEXTs, killed so many people."

"So that's it, then? Just give up and resign yourself to the 'mysterious merc' stereotype?" Liam shook his head, Failure mirroring his movements, "And I always thought you were the strong one, brother. I looked up to you, and all this time you were just running from your actions instead of controlling them."

Liam's radio crackled with static for a moment, some part of another channel breaking through, "Stall- longer, ---most ---pared -- activate."

His brother came back on the radio, sighing again, "It would seem our time runs short. I'll leave it up to you: fight me now, or I'll just leave these fools to their fate."

Liam was taken aback for a moment, his brother offering to just leave wasn't normal by any standards. He double checked his frequency, ensuring that they were on a private channel, "I'll take the second option, but why make the offer in the first place?"

Brother's NEXT shook its head this time, "Because," he spoke in a hushed tone, "My operator just got cut off, and she didn't like what she was seeing on the sensors. I will fight you eventually, know that, but right now this place is so contaminated with radiation that it's going to become a massive health hazard. And I don't like the idea of dying in a hospital bed."

"Whatever your reasons, bro," Liam said, "We're family. If you ever need backup, you can count on me, you know that," he chuckled, "even if you eat up all of the contracts."

"Yeah, well. That's assuming I wouldn't fire on sight if you came to help. Bro, Failure, enjoy the party. I'm out of here."

Liam stared for a moment, trying to glean any sort of hidden meaning from his words. He found none, simply sighing as his brother activated his over-boost and shot away, tank treads tearing the concrete beneath them before going airborne. Liam's radar suddenly lit up as Normals began pouring from the central tower of the reactor facility, easily 100 enemy contacts, if not more.

He fired up his quick boost, backing away to put a little distance between himself and the enemy forces. His assault rifles plinked away, blowing clean holes in the enemy's armor plating as they fell one by one.

Liam boosted right, twisting in his seat as he was locked on to from behind. Two sniper Normals were behind him, setting up to hammer him with their high caliber rifles. He twisted all the way around, locking on with his shoulder mounted missiles and loosing a salvo in their direction. A grim smile graced his lips as they were consumed in a massive fireball.

He turned back, 70 Normals still standing, all trying to hit him with their assault rifles as he dodged the rounds. A few made contact, doing little more than dropping his Primal Armor gauge.

Liam continued his routine: dodge, fire, dodge, fire; the Normals were torn apart by the hot lead pouring forth from the twin rifles. He thumbed the reload switch on his right arm, taking note that he was down to his last magazine for that weapon. Double checking his left, he noticed that he was already halfway through his last mag. He fired again, cutting down four more Normals as he jettisoned the left rifle and drew the pistol hanging on his left leg.

The missile racks lit up as several salvos rained down upon the enemy ranks, engulfing them in flames. Liam held the trigger until the ammo counter blinked red, then jettisoned the pods to add more speed for the finale.

He boosted forward, getting within weapon range for the pistol as he drained the right rifle of ammo and drew his Mech's katana.

Ten left.

He leapt forward, ducking behind a normal as one of its allies sent a volley of rifle fire in his direction, ripping his own squad mate to pieces. Failure danced around the ruined husk, boosting forward and spinning around the other Normal before planting the blade squarely into its back. Sparks danced from the wound, the Normal seizing up and acting as a makeshift shield as Liam plugged away at the third with his pistol, gutting the cockpit.

Liam twisted, spinning around and pursuing the remaining seven into the cooling tower of the reactor. He grinned at the close quarters fighting, dancing and slashing with his katana as Normals split apart before him, pieces of the war machines falling to the ground glowing red hot at the severed edge.

He could see several people sprinting into the facility at the center, their purpose a mystery to Liam as he cut down the last Normal.

Lyra Heartstrings awoke in a particularly good mood, another dream of her favorite topic had graced her sleeping mind as she cantered into her study. The interior of the room was a mess of papers, books, and most importantly, her journal, which sat beside her Royal Guard badge at the moment. She took a seat, sitting up and leaning on the back of the chair as she pulled out a pencil to try and sketch what she had seen.

Machines, some type of massive machines that were designed to fly and dance in the air. Human technology was her only explanation for the things. She set to work, recalling as much detail as she possibly could of the massive biped that she had seen as it danced in her mind. Such a wondrous thing couldn't possibly be anything but amazing in her mind.

"This again?"

Lyra gasped as she was startled by the sudden interruption, gracefully sliding out of the chair and into a heap of limbs on the ground. "Bon Bon! I told you not to do that!"

The mare in question, a cream colored Earth pony with dark blue and pink mane and tail, simply giggled at her long time friend. "I told you, Lyra. All they ever were is legends and old mare's tales. Just meant to scare little fillies into behaving."

Lyra shot her a venomous glare, her golden eyes smoldering with contempt. She was happy that Bon Bon had stopped telling her she was crazy, settling into a habit of amused ribbing and hinting whenever Lyra went into one of her "episodes".

"Bon," Lyra hissed, "I told you. Weather they're real or not, there's just too many consistencies in all of those stories. Either they were written by the same pony, or they are actually based on fact."

Her roommate chuckled, "Well every lie has a grain of truth. I think you should just give it a rest, go out and have some fun without thinking about hoo-mans every second. Not to mention the elements are out of town for a while, meaning that there's no risk of being assaulted with cake or balloons just for walking around with a smile on your face."

"SPIKEY WIKEY!" Rarity screamed, watching the young purple and green dragon plummet from atop the crystal palace.

King Sombra, the evil overlord seeking to reclaim his throne, screamed something unintelligible before slamming into the ground, charging forward as a wave of shadow and corrupt crystal. He burst forth, moving to intercept the falling crystal heart. It was mere feet away, growing closer as a pink blur shot past him.

Shining Armor panted, out of breath as he stood on his rear legs, forelegs outstretched after throwing his wife like a javelin to catch both the young dragon and the crystal heart.

A loud hum was heard through the armored hull of Liam's NEXT. He could see an ominous blue glow emanating from the reactor core. A chill ran up his spine as his sensors began to scream about strange energy readings, he twisted in his seat, turning the NEXT and firing his boosters to exit the structure.

But it was too little, too late.

Failure was encased in a blue bubble, along with the rest of the facility. Electricity arced from the various panels, leaving them unscathed but shocking the pilot within as he desperately tried to stay awake.

Fear clouded Liam's judgment as he slapped the Assault Armor trigger, causing massive amounts of Kojima energy to be gathered in the Over Boost module. The reaction caused his Primal Armor to essentially solidify, granting him a moment of peace from the intruding energy. The NEXT's Kojima rectifiers reversed their polarity, thrusting the Kojima particles out of the NEXT and into the surrounding air.

Liam was encased in a green glow as the shockwave of radiation consumed the earth around him. Time seemed to stretch and contract simultaneously, as he was suddenly extremely aware of his heartbeat and every droplet of sweat coating his brow. The mass of green Kojima particles swirled around for a moment before being suddenly ripped toward the center of the reactor cooling tower. They entered the structure, turning the sickly blue energy into a dangerous green before a massive wave of power caused his NEXT to stumble forward to a knee.

He looked up in horror as the shield surrounding the reactor was tainted with excess Kojima energy, pulsing dangerously before retracting into the core and exploding outward as Liam slumped forward in his seat, unconscious.

"Wake up, human."

Liam groaned, staggering to his feet as he obeyed the command.

What is this? I should be dead, what's going on? Questions raced through his mind as he looked around. There were several massive golden thrones, upon each sat a being of a different race. A few humans, a few of what he could only guess were elves with their pointy ears and glowing eyes, even a few horse-like beings sporting horns and wings.

"You are dead, Liam. But not lost, thankfully. We have other plans for you, and you would be wise to heed my words."

Liam's attention turned to another throne, lower than the others, but none less magnificent as an old man stood up from it. He was dressed in white robes, a long ivory beard hanging from his face as he smiled at the LYNX. Liam was momentarily incapacitated, unable to move or speak as the man approached him.

"We have other plans for you, like I said," the man placed a hand on Liam's shoulder. It was comforting, yet terrifying at the same time. "Your name, do you know what it means?"

Liam shook his head slowly.

"It means 'Devoted Guardian'. That is why you stood by your mother even though you could've abandoned her as your brother did, that is why you are here now." The man removed his hand, kneeling down to Liam's level and smiling. "Your service is needed elsewhere, and while some of my colleagues believe me to be insane for doing this, I see no better option. You are to take up the mantle of protector, to fulfill your namesake of this devoted guardian that they need. I am not offering power, or a new form. I am granting you immortality as you are, to stand by and assist those who need it, on scales both immense and tiny."

Liam felt his mind expanding, his memories all becoming crystal clear as if he had experienced his whole life only seconds ago. A tear rolled down his cheek for the loss of his father, while laughter escaped his throat at the memories of the great man. His heart soared as his crush admitted that she had feelings for him as well, and yet was torn apart at not fulfilling his promise to return alive.

"Your body is as mortal as ever, no new strength, no magical abilities. Yet it will not decay with time as it once would. Your actions will be your own, and we will not intervene in any way. Enjoy this gift, and do not waste it, or we will not be so pleased to see you when you return, Liam."

He nodded, his vision already fading as the man backed away from him with a sincere smile and wave goodbye.

Shining Armor trotted through the streets of the newly saved Crystal Empire. A wide smile adorned his face as he nodded at the Crystal ponies as he passed by. Things had finally settled down, with the threat of King Sombra removed and the Crystal Heart in place to power the Empire.

He glanced up at the balcony, smiling as he laid eyes on his beautiful wife, who was in the process of waving to a small group of ponies below. There was a very faint thud that broke Shining Armor's trance as he glanced around in confusion.

Everything suddenly went silent as the surrounding ponies noticed the noise. Suddenly, there was a massive CRACK as a pillar of black metal shot up through the ground in the middle of the street just a few yards in front of Shining Armor.

Liam groaned, waking slowly as he noticed first that he was awake, then that he was still securely fastened into his NEXT's cockpit.

His mind began to race, that palace-court thing, the old man, what had it been? And what in the blue hell did he mean by 'his blessing' and 'Devoted Guardian'?

Liam sat there for a few minutes, staring forward as his cameras worked to compensate for the dim light around him. He shook off the memories, dismissing them as a dream as he glanced around, the ominous red lights on Failure's head scanned the area.

He realized he was in a chamber underground, and the light was filtering through some sort of crystal above him. Liam brought the NEXT to her feet with a massive stomp that reverberated throughout the cavernous room, katana in hand.

He looked up, able to see a few shadows overhead. Bracing for anything, he shoved his massive sword upward, piercing the ground above him as a shaft of sunlight illuminated his NEXT. The surrounding crystal cracked, and the shadows retreated from the gaping hole that opened above him.

He shook his NEXT, clearing the shards of crystal from his shoulders and torso, and crouched. His Primal Armor was offline, for some unknown reason, but that didn't bother him unless he was going into combat. PA in civilian areas ran the risk of contaminating innocents, leading to sickness and death where it wasn't wanted. With a thought, and a flex of his legs, Failure shot upwards on a jet of superheated air.

He shielded his eyes with the NEXT's arm, glancing around as his breath was stolen from him. He hovered, an easy hundred yards off the ground, as he scanned the area. The massive metal arm before him glistened as if it were solid diamond, giving him pause before looking past that and truly becoming amazed.

All around was that same blue crystal, but in front of him it was crafted into a towering palace. The scene was awe inspiring, and yet confusing. His mind began to race again as he thought of what could have created such wonders. His only possible explanation was that the Kojima blast from the reactor turned the plant to crystal, and it certainly appeared similar to the cooling tower, complete with the open area underneath.

He glanced at the mechanical readouts for his NEXT, noticing first that his emblem had changed, and was now a golden sword in front of a silver shield. What confused him most, though, was the fact that his NEXT's name was different. Instead of Failure, it now read Guardian. The massive cliché almost made him laugh, but he was too angry that someone had actually hacked his NEXT's systems to change them in the first place.

He reached for his console to change the name and emblem back when a pink dot showed up on his forward monitor. He watched as a glow encompassed the crystal beneath him, repairing what he now noticed was a road that he had just destroyed.

His mind screamed a million reasons that this was wrong as he lowered the output of his thrusters, landing softly on the street surface and scanning around him as he fought the urge to have a seizure.

Princess Cadence was dumbstruck. Right in front of her, a massive machine had just burst forth from the ground, and was now hovering over her Empire. Citizens screamed, running toward the nearest building as she leapt from her platform and glided toward the behemoth, repairing the street surface that it had shattered in its escape.

It floated down to the surface, and she got a better look at it. It appeared to be made of crystal, like everything else in the Crystal Empire, but what it could look like outside of the Crystal Heart's field of influence completely eluded her.

The only part that hadn't been changed by the Heart was the massive sword it carried in its right claw. It stood on two legs, appearing tall and proud as an eerie set of lights on its head drifted left and right, casting its gaze over the few ponies that had dared stay to watch. The ponies shrunk back when its attention turned to them, fear and apprehension written across their faces.

Then, it looked straight ahead, right at Cadence.

Liam observed his surroundings with a new found sense of curiosity. There were horse-things everywhere, although most were frantically vacating the area around him. He kept his Primal Armor deactivated, reminding himself to figure out why it wasn't functioning at his earliest opportunity.

His gaze shifted forward again, and focused on the flying, horned horse that he had seen before. She seemed to be wearing some form of crown, and seemed more frightened than she was letting show. He felt bad for the little ones, who appeared to only be about as tall as his stomach, but this one looked like she wouldn't be much shorter than he was, not counting the foot long spear growing from her forehead.

His mind kept drifting back to the old man, and his 'other plans'. Liam could see no reason to not just roll with it, as he had always done, taking a relaxed and nonchalant approach to most aspects of life. His hand drifted over the consoles, sheathing his katana and causing the power plant within his NEXT to withdraw into standby mode as the beast stepped back with one leg, kneeling on one knee and pitching forward.

The NEXT's massive hands rested against the street to stabilize the massive machine, and a loud hiss sounded as the base of the torso opened to the outside air. Liam removed his helmet, breathing in the fresh, sweet, warm scent of the city. It caused him to smile. The air here was a welcome change from the wastes of Earth, and the sterilized, filtered air of the Cradle. He fought back thoughts of home as he climbed the cockpit walls, attaching his father's katana to his hip as he pulled himself up to the entrance hatch and tossed out the rope ladder.

Shining Armor galloped forward to stand beside his wife as the behemoth before him kneeled before her. The action was not unexpected, nor unwelcome, but it was still a terrifying hulk to look at.

And yet, somehow graceful.

A hiss echoed through the courtyard as a small opening appeared in the thing's chest, followed shortly by a rope ladder falling to the ground. Shining and Cadence braced themselves as a smaller being descended the ladder, jumping the final few feet and landing on two legs. It had landed with its back to the pair, and seemed to take a look around as it dusted off its hands.

It glanced behind, seeing the pair, and allowing them a good look at its face even from twenty yards away. The first thing that came to Shining's mind was tall, bald, and pale

It stepped forward, nearing the pair as the sunlight glistened off of his black, crystallized clothing. Nearing the two, it stopped. It glanced back and forth between them as the three sized each other up, wondering who would make the first move.

Shining tensed his body as the creature pulled a sword resembling the large machine's from its hip, but rather than attack, it turned the blade point down, resting the tip of the sword on the ground as it used it for a support.

It knelt before the two, bowing its head reverently in a surprising act of respect. Cadence and Shining Armor glanced at each other with raised eyebrows before looking back at the thing as it lifted its head to smile at them.

And then it talked.

"What's up?"

Thud

Author's Note

So I updated the story tags after thinking on it for a bit. This story is gonna be all over the place, and I promise that there will be ideas borrowed from other fics, 'cause those ideas are better than mine :rainbowwild: . Things like the society set up in "Xenophilia", (Lyra from that one crossed with "Anthropology" I think, Lyra is a boss, get over it :pinkiehappy: ). Or some ideas from "What's Love Got to do With It?" Those three stories are the bulk of any borrowed ideas, and are definitely all in my top 5 favorite fics that I've ever read. (hint: if you haven't read them, do it. It's worth it.)

Anyway, as far as the tags go, Adventure would be there also, but alas: it does not fit with the slice of life tag, and there's more slices-o-life than adventure planned. So just keep calm and read on. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 3: Rumor

*****Chapter 3: Rumor*****

Liam approached the pair of horses, palms sweating as he grew close. He figured it would be wise to bow to the one with the crown and the head-mounted spear, so he did just that. Katana in hand, he watched the white one tense up as he rested the tip of the sword against the hard ground.

He stared at the street, trying to find something wise or at least dignified to say.

His head came up, looking at the two ponies with a nervous grin, "What's up?"

His nervous smile turned into a raised eyebrow as the white one crumpled to the ground with a small whimper. The pink one glanced to the limp white form beside her, also confused as Liam if the look on her surprisingly human face was anything to go by. She looked back towards him before breaking out into giggles at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Liam took the moment to stand, sheathing his father's sword as the pink horse calmed down instantaneously. She eyed him with curiosity, and the pair whittled away a few moments in silent contemplation.

The pink horse spoke first, "Who, or rather, what are you?"

Liam was taken back at those words, surprised less by the fact that it could speak and more by the softness of her voice. It reminded him of a young girl, curious yet naive in her youth.

He pondered his response for a moment before deciding that an alias would be useful in this situation, and his recent hallucinations would suit him just fine for the moment. "You may call me Guardian. As for what I am, I am a Human, but that is up for debate at the moment."

She narrowed her eyes at the man, considering his response with ill concealed skepticism, "I can't say that I know exactly what a 'Human' is, but I think it would be best if we continued this conversation indoors."

Liam nodded as she turned back toward the spire behind her, he stepped forward, "What about this one?"

The pink horse glanced at the limp white one, who was muttering something about cake in his sleep. She giggled for a moment before replying, "He's my husband, I'll carry him."

Liam glanced at the pair as the white horse was suddenly encased in a light blue glow. He scraped his jaw off of the floor, moving to follow them as one floated along.

The walk wasn't long, but it was awkward. Every civilian that saw him ducked back indoors, he merely snorted indignantly at their xenophobic ways. Even the servants inside the spire seemed terrified of him, though they wouldn't show it in front of the two he accompanied.

Liam cast a glance around the high ceiling, noting that it too was made of crystal, "So, what is this place, exactly?"

The pink one flinched a bit at the sound of his voice, he had been so quiet throughout the trip that she hadn't been expecting the question. She cleared her throat, "Ahem, This is the Crystal Palace. The center of the newly reformed Crystal Empire. Before just a few days ago, it had disappeared for one thousand years due to a curse placed upon it by King Sombra."

Liam's steady footsteps suddenly stopped, the pink one turned around to look at the human and noticed that he was staring at the ceiling. She looked up, seeing nothing, and returned her gaze to his face.

He blinked a few times, licking his lips and apparently turning the information over a few times in his head before replying. "So. I just got dropped into a world of crystally-talking-horses. Apparently into an Empire that just vanished for a century, and all I have is my NEXT, my sword, and my devilish good looks."

"Ponies, and not all of us are 'crystally'. That effect is only present in the Crystal Empire, and hopefully I can find some way to negate it. I rather miss my regular appearance."

Liam looked back down, narrowing his eyes and scowling at the pink pony. "So what do I call you, miss pink pony?"

"Oh! I can't believe that I forgot, my name is Princess Cadence, and this is my husband, Prince Shining Armor," Cadence gave a sheepish smile before turning back and continuing her trot to parts unknown.

Liam closed his eyes, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. His mind was an enormous cluster-fuck of information and crazy conspiracy theories at the moment, so he did the one thing that made sense.

Shutting down most thought processes, he followed the Princess in a daze. His eyes focused on nothing in particular, set straight ahead as he followed blindly. Eventually, they came to a large room with a throne. Liam snapped out of his daze, shaking his head as he saw Cadence set her husband down on a cushion beside the gigantic seat, which was again made out of crystal.

If I ever get home, I'm going on a personal quest to eliminate all crystals on Earth. The thought brought a grim smile to his lips before he realized that he was indeed about as far from home as one could get. His face visibly darkened as he looked down at the ground, wondering if Line Ark would pay his mother on his behalf, or what Catherine would do when she found out about his disappearance.

Don't worry about it.

Liam's head shot up, looking in every direction for the source of the voice.

I told you already, Liam. Don't worry about it.

He returned his gaze forward, noticing that the Princess was eyeing him from her throne. He shrugged mentally, pushing the thoughts away to be dealt with later. Deciding to take a chance, Liam stepped toward the throne and took a seat on one of the translucent blue steps.

With a heavy sigh, he began to count off on his fingers, "Alright, so it's time to take stock. I have my NEXT, complete with my dad's blade and a couple magazines for the pistol. I have one change of clothes, and a few personal effects in my bag."

Cadence tilted her head to the side, wondering where he was going with this.

"I have no idea where I'm at, aside from the fact that it's called the 'Crystal Empire,' which personally sounds a little bit evil. No offense."

Cadence giggled, "None taken, Guardian. Although, I'm less curious about what is here, and more curious about how you ended up under the street."

Liam paused, glancing around the room before turning to Cadence, "Well, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure either. I got into some pretty heavy fighting, luckily my NEXT didn't take much damage, there was a massive Kojima explosion that I tried to counter by using my Assault Armor. I passed out, had some weird dream about becoming a 'Devoted Guardian' or some bull, and the next thing I know, I'm in a cavern with no way out but up."

The Princess eyed him a little more cautiously now, "Heavy fighting? Are you some sort of soldier, or guard?"

"Guard or soldier? No. I was a mercenary, you know, get paid to do some exec's dirty work so their company can deny involvement and all that garbage." Liam glanced at her, noticing the look of concern in her eyes, he answered her unspoken question with a forced laugh. "Nothing like that, ma'am. Merc work where I come from is how most LYNX support themselves. Myself included. That mission was to clear out some terrorists who wanted to do who-knows-what to who-knows-who. There was a massive paycheck for it also, a full million credits."

Cadence furrowed her brow. She glanced at Shining Armor, wishing that he would hurry up and awake so that he could help judge this 'Guardian'. He was always better with soldiers, being the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and all. "But why? Why kill for money?"

Liam chuckled, "It's not all that bad. I hardly ever see an enemy soldier, they're always inside massive war machines built for nothing but destruction. Even society is rare, mainly existing only in the cradles and company headquarters."

"No, that's. . . informative, but not what I meant. I mean: why do you specifically kill for money?"

He sighed, "Honestly, I did it to support my mother. I lived with her, and she needed the help around the house. This last paycheck would've been enough to cover us for a year in a nice apartment, easy. I had to take care of her, and there wasn't much work around the cradle to speak of."

Cadence caught the slight fall of his face, and decided it was time to change the subject. "So that machine you - control? - how do you use it?"

Liam caught the subject change, allowing a little smile to tug at the corners of his mouth as he replied, "A system called an AMS, it stands for something, but I can't remember what those fancy words are. Basically, I strap in, and become the NEXT. It reacts to my commands as if I were controlling my own body, but - you know - flying and stuff." He chuckled, "It's amazingly simple once all of the startup procedures are done, just think it and it happens. The problem is that I get a massive headache after a few hours of piloting, even with my high compatibility."

"Compatibility?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, the level at which the computers can read my intentions. It takes effort on my part, but it's mental work. Psychic stress, if you ask the scientists."

Cadence put a hoof to her chin, making a small 'hmm' sound before replying, "It sounds like Unicorn or Alicorn magic, although overuse of magic can leave one both mentally and physically drained when they hit their limits."

Liam eyed the pony skeptically, "Magic. . . riiight," he shook his head, rubbing his eyes as he suddenly found himself very tired.

There was a slight stirring as the passed out Shining Armor finally woke up. He smacked his lips a couple times, glancing around the room and somehow missing the six foot tall man sitting on the throne steps. He smiled up at Cadence, "Hey, honey. Sorry, I must've dozed off for a bit, I had the weirdest dream though, there was this giant robot and a monkey thing that could talk." He chuckled to himself as he looked around again. The laughter slowed to a halt when he laid eyes on the man sitting before the pair.

Liam simply cocked a half smile at the now shaking Unicorn, "Let's try this again, shall we? Prince Shining Armor, it is an honor to finally meet you. . . again. I am a Human, you may call me Guardian. I have been talking with your wife, she has been a most understanding and welcoming hostess." He beamed a smile at Shining Armor, who's eyes shrunk to pinpricks at the word 'Human'.

Shining glanced at Cadence, who met his eyes for a few moments before sighing and shaking her head. She got up from her throne, motioning for the man to follow her. When they were outside the room, she turned to him with clear frustration on her face.

"Something wrong, Princess?"

Cadence sighed, "Well, apparently, Shining Armor has heard some. . . stories, about your kind. He thinks that you are a grave threat to us and," she rolled a hoof in the air, "you should be detained, arrested, etcetera. I could go on, but I believe it would be best if I show you your room for the night. Also, I believe it would be best if you got some rest, and left at your earliest convenience. I can have the palace staff bring you both Equestrian and world maps when they bring you dinner."

The pair began walking down more crystal hallways, and up a surprising number of stairs. Liam guessed that they must've been halfway up the tower before he decided to reply to the Princess' statements.

"Sounds fine to me, I still need to get around and get a feel for things. It would probably cut down on the paranoia among the citizens if I were to leave soon too." He left it out that he was slightly concerned about ponies poking around his NEXT, and was glad that they couldn't open the cockpit hatch without a specific code. That thought led him into wondering if ponies could actually climb ladders with their hooves before he realized that there was still a conversation to be had.

Cadence's shoulders visibly slumped, "I am glad you are so reasonable, Shining feared that you may grow angry at the ultimatum. Also, what exactly do you eat?"

Liam shrugged, "I don't really care, I'm an omnivore, so meat or plants. I'd prefer meat if you have it, but if not, a salad would be fine." She reacted very little to the revelation of his diet, simply bunching her nose up a bit as if she smelled something bad.

"A salad it is then, sorry, being herbivores, we ponies tend to stay away from meat unless it is needed. Which is only when a Gryphon ambassador is visiting," she offered an apologetic smile. "We do have predators, though, so it's not like eating meat is that big of a deal."

He smiled, bringing up his hands in a defensive gesture, "Hey, I'm not complaining. I'll just have to pay the Gryphons a visit if I want a steak." He laughed, "Thank you for not flipping out about it, though. I appreciate it."

The pair stopped in front of a door, which Cadence opened for the man. He stepped inside, followed by the Princess as he took a look around. It was extravagant, even compared to the VIP penthouses on board the Cradles. A massive bed was built into the floor, and Liam was relieved to see an actual mattress atop the crystal pedestal.

The bed itself was covered in a rich purple spread, bearing what appeared to be a six pointed snowflake in the center surrounded by stylized filigrees. He was surprised to see that the dresser was in fact made of wood, though he couldn't tell the type. Most of the furnishings were wood, and the room itself was done up in a Victorian style, giving him an odd feeling of being rich.

He concluded the quick glance around by looking out the window. He was pleased to note that his window was looking out over the street where his NEXT was parked, and was more pleased to note that the ponies were giving it quite a wide berth. He noted a few ponies flying about over the city, pushing clouds to and fro in what appeared to be a completely unorganized mess.

He could see the storm clouds on the horizon, but was most captivated by the fact that the Pegasi could even interact with the water vapor. He decided to not worry about it at the moment, deciding that if he had taken the time to actually think about everything he would've been foaming at the mouth within minutes.

Cadence's voice reminded him that he was not alone, "I hope that this will be sufficient, we haven't really had time to fix up the Palace, since it just re-appeared a few days ago. This room was used by Rainbow Dash, a good friend of my Aunt's student and my good friend, Twilight Sparkle."

Liam turned and offered a broad smile to the Princess, "It is plenty, Princess Cadence. I appreciate your hospitality, and hope that someday I can return the favor."

"Cadence is fine," she smiled, "I'm glad that we could be so accommodating, I'm sure that this is all a big change for you. I think I'll talk to my husband, and if you want, we could introduce you to the population before you leave. It should make things much easier should you ever need to return."

Liam offered his hand to the Princess, who placed her hoof in it. They shared a hand/hoof shake, "Alright, Cadence. I'll defer to your judgment on this, and do what you feel is best. Please assure Prince Armor that I have no hostile intentions, and if he feels comfortable, have him come see me after dinner and we can have a discussion man to man, er, pony."

Cadence giggled at his use of terminology, "I'm sure that I can talk him out of whatever suspicions he has, though I make no promises. Have a good evening, Guardian."

"You too, Cadence."

With those final words, Cadence left Liam to himself. The Human let out a long sigh, immediately heading toward the restroom attached to the suite. He checked the drawers out of habit, finding nothing in them. He stripped out of his piloting suit quickly, soon wearing nothing but his underwear and an old black undershirt.

He folded the suit, taking care to not fold any of the more delicate sections of the network of wires. He placed it on the counter, taking a look at himself in the mirror. He noticed that it was a medicine cabinet, and opened it out of curiosity. When he did, he noticed a small silver locket on a chain.

Liam narrowed his eyes at the jewelry, picking it up delicately and noticing that it had a cloud with a lightning bolt engraved on the front. Popping it open by pressing the small catch on the side, he was greeted with the smiling faces of three Pegasi. Two of them had shockingly bright rainbow manes, and the last appeared to be trying to get the small one to hold still. The front panel had a small piece of paper in it.

He glanced at the paper, noticing some tiny faded letters. "Happy 10th birthday, we love you."

If he was a betting man, he would've put money on this belonging to that Rainbow Dash that Cadence had mentioned. He placed it on the counter softly, clicking the cover shut as he made a mental note to take it with him. If nothing else, it gave him a goal. A temporary objective to return this to its owner. That alone set his mind a little at ease, as everything is simpler when a clear goal is defined.

A sound from his room drew his attention back to the present. Glancing out the door, he noticed that the small table in his room now held a bowl full of various greens and two rolls of paper that he figured were the maps. He shrugged it off, opting to run a bath and relax for a few minutes before dealing with the food and resources.

He sunk into the tub, noticing a small window that was currently offering a beautiful view of the sunset. The warm water seemed to ease his tension away, replacing a large chunk of his worry with contentedness and comfort. He set about washing himself, taking a few minutes to clean his underwear and shirt before wringing them out and hanging them over the shower rail. The sound of thunder rolled through the palace, forecasting the presence of a storm making its way into the empire. Liam didn't mind, if a little water could hurt his NEXT then it would've been rusted to the ground long ago.

He dried himself with one towel, and grabbed another as he hung up the wet one with his still damp clothes. Liam sat at the table to enjoy his supper, unrolling the world map first and getting his bearings. The map had the Crystal Empire circled in red, and it appeared that he could reach Canterlot by heading due south. It would be fairly simple, and he made a note to update his NEXT's maps before departing so he could call them up on the monitors to help with navigation.

The journey appeared to be roughly 300 miles, Liam found himself wishing for a Vanguard Over boost Module for the trip. It would take quite a while to traverse, even if he kept to simple gliding or flying, since he would have to stop at about eight hour intervals to rest. Shining Armor never showed up, and a few hours of planning later, Liam slumped into bed naked. He had nothing against sleeping nude, and happily burrowed into the covers. It was by far the most comfortable bed he'd ever had, and he found himself asleep in seconds as the storm finally hit outside.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, kinda lost interest in writing anything for a while. Should be getting on it more, but there's this for now. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Skylight--Dawn of Day 2

*****Chapter 4: Skylight--Dawn of Day 2*****

-Crystal Empire: circa 1000 years ago-

A weeping Pegasus stallion stood in the slave graveyard. It wasn't fair. All the small family had wanted was a peaceful camping trip. They neglected to fully prepare, however, ignoring the warnings of Crystal Empire slavers prowling the woods East of Trottingham.

It had started out well, they had set up a small campsite in a clearing beside a creek, enjoying the night sky and the stars that decorated it. The sight wasn't as beautiful as it had been before the Nightmare Moon incident two years before, but it was still peaceful.

Their filly was in high spirits, a beautiful turquoise Pegasus filly, with a faded red mane and tail. She had always loved exploring the bushes, the little paths that wound around the little grotto. They hadn't even seen the slavers coming. They were quick, quiet, and unmerciful.

Before his filly's eyes, her own mother had been de-winged. A brutish tactic used by those bastards to prevent their prey from escaping on the forced march. She had matured quickly. She had to. Now five years old, she stood beside her father, under his protective wing as they both wept silently. The work was brutal, beatings were frequent and food was scarce. His wife had been broken early on, without wings and without hope, she had given in to despair and died.

She looked up at him, her own father, always so strong and brave and compassionate. Not anymore. He was a shell of his former self. Early on, he had fallen into a habit of letting her eat her fill from their rations before eating whatever was left. She would've shared with him, goddess, she wanted to share with him, but after the first night, he knew her appetite. If there was a full bowl when she said she was done, she was certainly lying.

His eye on one side was glazed over constantly, malnourishment plaguing every one of his body's facilities. Half blind, covered in scars, and with new wounds being added every day, the filly felt as if there was nothing she could do.

There was never anything she could do.

A peal of thunder roared through the sky, shaking the little filly out of her dream as rain pounded down around her. She looked around, confused, remembering that she had taken shelter under some boxes in an alley for the night. What had once been her father's wing, was in reality nothing more than a soggy piece of cardboard. Shrugging off the heartache, she extracted herself from her former shelter. Ahead, there was something in the road outside her alley that she hadn't noticed in her rush to find protection from the elements.

Curiously, she stepped forward, eyeing the massive machine in awe. The rain was getting cold, and she had to find somewhere to bed down for the evening. Noticing the rope ladder, the little Pegasus ascended into the metal beast, a 10 minute ordeal of flailing limbs and grunting as she struggled to overcome the obstacle. She was met with a small room in front of a locked door. Shrugging, she curled up into a small fluff ball and quickly began snoring.

In her dreams, she was with her father and mother again, happily bounding around a large field while her parents rested their heads against each other. They were happy, she was happy, and yet she had a nagging feeling that she was still alone.

Liam awoke earlier than usual, or what he assumed to be earlier than usual. The sun was just barely peeking above the horizon, bathing the city below in its warm orange glow. There was peace here, as far as he could tell. He could see ponies trotting around, going about their business.

It brought a smile to his face. Even from this height, he could tell that they were content, if not happy, with their lives. It was a welcome change from the downtrodden, battle scarred veterans aboard the Cradle.

Thoughts of the Cradle brought with them thoughts of his family. How was his mother doing? Would his brother man up for once and actually care for her in his absence? What about his promise to Catherine, would she move on or would it be another maiden-awaiting-the-hero's-return situation? At least she knows my mother, and they have each other to lean on for now he thought. He was sad, but tears were not something he had to spare at the moment. He had plans to make, people-er-ponies to talk to, and an entire world to familiarize himself with.

His first objective, he decided, was to retrieve his clothes from his NEXT. He slipped into his piloting suit, zipping it up and clipping the helmet onto a loop at the waist. As soon as he was suited up, a knock at the door caused his head to whirl around fast enough that he was rewarded with a loud crack as his vertebrae popped back into place.

"Come in," Liam called.

Shining Armor stepped through the portal, wearing an unreadable expression as he turned to the human, "Cadence asked me to retrieve you for breakfast, she also wanted me to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. So, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for freaking out. It doesn't mean that I trust you, but I'll give you a chance to prove you aren't a monster."

Liam's eyebrow crept up his face as he listened, suppressing a laugh as he responded, "Don't worry about it, Prince. One thing you should know about humans is that we can be a great ally, or deadly enemy," he paused, holding a hand out for Shining Armor. "As long as you don't stab me in the back, I'll always be there if I'm needed."

Shining Armor gulped, but took the offered handshake without much hesitation. "So, judging by your sword, I take it that you're a soldier?"

Liam chuckled, "Your wife asked the same question, and the answer is no." Shining's brow furrowed for a moment, "I am a mercenary, or was, it runs in the family. My father was a merc, and so is my brother."

Shining's face took on a troubled expression as he replied, "You know, if you want to earn my trust, being a mercenary isn't going to earn it any faster."

Liam simply smiled, "Would you rather I lie? Tell you that I'm a noble warrior of my people, fighting the demons that threaten their lives while rescuing fair maidens from otherwise horrible fates?"

The pair walked out of the room, headed toward the lower floors and the dining hall. "No," Shining replied after a moment, "But it would sure help if I knew you were loyal to something beyond money, you know?"

"Hah, tell me about it. But seriously, I don't take unethical contracts. Well, I wouldn't if any came up. Only contracts that were open back home were company on company military strikes."

"Company on company?" Shining looked at his guest from the corner of his eye, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Liam was confused for a moment, before remembering that the ponies actually had countries. "Oh, sorry. I guess a proper analogue here would be army on army. Stuff that's well away from civilians and all that." They walked a little further in silence, descending two flights of stairs before Liam remembered his first objective of the day. "Hey, Prince Armor, I actually need to head out to my NEXT before we get to breakfast. Wearing my piloting suit isn't very comfortable."

Shining glanced up at him, examining the black fabric that seemed to have wires woven into it. "You know, I thought that was just your coat. But it does look strange now that I think about it, what's it made of?"

"My coat? Oh you mean like fur, no. This is made of spandex, with circuitry woven into it so it picks up on the electrical signals from my brain. It allows me to control my NEXT as though it were my own body, rather than a bulky interface and joystick controls like the Normals."

Shining Armor simply gawked at the human, understanding that the suit allowed him to control his machine, but completely lost for the rest of the meaning. "Well let's go get your stuff, then we'll meet Cadence in the dining hall."

The pair continued in silence, walking together into the streets of the Crystal Empire as several ponies took notice of them. A few ran, but many bowed respectfully to the Prince. All cast shocked and intrigued looks at Liam as they walked by. He merely chuckled and wore a half smile, finding their skittish, xenophobic reactions funny in the early morning.

Together, they reached the NEXT. The systems may read it as Guardian, but to Liam it would always be Failure, a reminder that he was not good enough to do the things his brother did on a regular basis. Killing Arms Forts, other NEXTs, it was all a regular occurrence for his brother, and all out of his scope of combat. Not that he wasn't a great pilot, just that his reactions and rational thought in combat had never been anywhere near as swift as his brother's.

Liam sighed, grasping a rung on the ladder and heaving himself up towards the waiting cockpit where his possessions awaited him. As he ascended, a faint sound became more and more obvious. Liam was curious, as it sounded like someone was snoring inside his NEXT.

Lo and behold, poking his head over the lip of the entrance step, there was a small turquoise bundle of fluff and feathers snoozing away. Liam's face couldn't keep the smile away, as it was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen. Still, he needed to get into his cockpit. With a small nudge, the filly began to stir, letting out an adorable yawn and ruffling her wings as she opened her eyes.

When she laid eyes on Liam, she froze. Slowly, she backed into the door, cowering behind her forelegs while peeking glances at the human. He reached out with one hand, gaining a small 'eep' from the filly as he touched her mane.

"Hey, it's alright little one, I'm not going to hurt you."

She lifted her head a bit, a little fear being replaced with curiosity as she unconsciously leaned into the hand petting her mane.

"Do you have a name?" Liam asked, smiling at the youngling.

"S- Skylight," she chirped adorably.

Liam's smile grew a little more, fingers running through the rusty hair, "That's a beautiful name. Do you know where your parents are?"

At the mention of her parents, tears began to well up in her eyes. A defeated look overtook her as she buried her head in her front hooves. Liam knew that look, it was the same one that he wore when his father passed away. She shook her head, speaking through her legs and sobbing, "Th-They-They're gone."

Liam hefted himself up onto the ledge, scooping the filly into his arms in one quick motion. He suspected that she would've been terrified if she hadn't been so sad, instead, she simply buried her face in his chest. She sobbed for a few minutes before Liam put her down, "P-Please, don't leave," she whimpered, crawling back toward the man as he crouched to enter the rest of the cabin.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to change clothes and then I'll be back. Just stay put for a minute, alright?"

Skylight nodded, plopping back down on her hindquarters and sniffling to herself. Liam ducked into the cockpit, stripping out of his control suit and donning his only set of clothes. A simple set of black shorts, coming down to the upper quarter of his shins, and a black T-shirt. He grabbed his jacket, a simple hoodie, dark grey. He never really cared much for style, and black was usually the cheapest option around when the opportunity to purchase them arose. He also still wore the piloting boots, as he did almost everywhere. He had a pair of old black sneakers in the box, a white logo on the side read 'Chuck Taylor', but those took too much time to lace up. They were also one of his most valuable possessions, the only things that he had ever actually dropped some real money for. Supposedly, they were popular back in the old days before the war, and were simply called Converse High-tops. They were cool, that's all he cared about.

He exited the cockpit, finding Skylight still sitting on the ledge, sniffling. He scooped her up, tucking her into his shoulder as he used one hand to descend the ladder. On the ground, he moved her to his arms, allowing her to tuck her legs under herself and lie on his forearms as he strode up next to Shining Armor.

Shining Armor looked surprised to see him come down with a filly, and shot Liam a questioning glance, "So who's your friend there, Guardian?"

Skylight looked down to the unicorn from her perch in Liam's arms, being adorably shy, "I'm Skylight."

Liam chuckled, freeing an arm to ruffle the filly's mane again, "She was sleeping in the entrance well." He leaned over, turning Skylight so she wouldn't fall down, and whispered in Shining's ear quiet enough that the child wouldn't hear, "She's an orphan."

Shining's eyes dilated, and he gasped slightly before regaining his composure. He nodded, "So, Skylight, would you like to join us for breakfast?"

The filly's stomach decided to reply for her, letting a loud growl that rivaled Liam on his worst days. Both males shared a laugh as Sky blushed, hiding her face in Liam's chest. With that, the trio set off back toward the palace. As they approached, Skylight's eyes kept growing until they were standing in front of the door.

"We're going to eat breakfast in there!?" she piped up, throwing a hoof upward to the palace floor.

Shining laughed, "We sure are, kiddo. I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Prince Shining Armor, but you can just call me Shining if you want."

"Prince?" Sky tilted her head to the side, "Is King Sombra your dad?" She buried her face again, peeking out to the side to see Shining grimace and shake his head.

"No. Actually, we just kicked Sombra out a few days ago. Weren't you here for that?"

Skylight tilted her head to the other side now, "No, I just 'member waking up in the alley last night, and finding that thing."

Liam let out a deep chuckle, causing Sky to look up at him curiously, "Well you can call me Guardian, Sky. I just showed up here yesterday after some. . . stuff."

Sky giggled, "Garden's a funny name."

Shining laughed with her, Liam would've facepalmed if his hands weren't busy keeping the happy filly safe from falling. He settled for shaking his head and sighing. The trio continued on in silence, following Shining through the halls of the palace until they came upon a grand dining hall. The closest comparison that Liam could make was the NEXT hangar onboard the cradle. The ceiling was massive, holding three chandeliers made of the same translucent blue crystal as the rest of the palace.

"Damn," Liam whispered, momentarily forgetting that Sky was nestled in his arms as she, too, looked around slack-jawed.

They took their seats, Shining on the Princess' right, Liam and Sky on their left. Cadence looked at them strangely, silently asking where the little filly had come from. Her response came from Shining Armor, who must've explained in the same manner he had voiced his concerns about Liam the day before. Cadence gave a small gasp, glancing at the filly before smiling in her direction.

"It is nice to meet you, little one. What's your name?"

Skylight 'eep'ed, hiding her face under the table adorably before her eyes peeked over the edge, "S-Skylight."

Liam had to fight back an 'Aww' as he watched the filly acting so adorable.

"Well my name is Princess Cadence, but you can just call me Cadence."

Skylight caught sight of the wings on her side, and lit up with excitement, "WOW! A REAL PRINCESS! That's so cool!" She went on, gushing over how cool it was to meet a real princess. By the time she was finished, she was barely inches away from Cadence's face, leaning over the edge of the table while standing where her food would have gone.

Cadence was blushing from the praise, mumbling something about it being 'no big deal', while Liam and Shining both doubled over in laughter. Sky snapped back to reality, faking anger at the two males, and huffing all the way back to her seat.

Breakfast arrived shortly afterwards, a veritable feast compared to what Liam was used to, the ponies got a mix of various greens, flowers, and an omelet each. Liam received an omelet, big enough to cover the entire plate, filled with a few green things that he thought were peppers or chilies, and cheese. They all dug in, although the three adults were stunned into silence at how voracious the little filly beside them was. All of her food was gone in a matter of seconds, or so it seemed, and she sat back with a happy smile and a belch that startled a passing maid into fainting.

After breakfast, Liam showed Skylight to his room, accompanied by Shining Armor and Cadence. At their request, he joined them in the hall outside as Skylight went to bathe herself and get ready for the day.

Liam gave a heavy sigh, turning to the two royals before him, "What will happen to her?"

Cadence looked to the floor, "She will be placed in an orphanage until she is old enough to provide for herself."

Shining nodded in agreement, "Without her parents, it would be irresponsible to do nothing."

Liam thought for a moment, possibilities running through his mind. He didn't want to send her away, to an orphanage where she would grow up without parents, and possibly without friends. He also didn't like the idea of taking her with him in his NEXT. Sure, they could manage, but the cockpit was not built to house a child. A whole minute passed, Liam wrestled to figure out which was the lesser of the two evils before finally addressing Cadence.

"How difficult would it be to adopt her? I mean, would it even be possible?"

Cadence seemed to brighten up at the suggestion, "Well it would be difficult, but I could always pull some strings. It would be a bit of a delay in your departure, if you still wanted to go to Equestria, but we could make it work."

Liam thought for another moment, though he had a sneaking suspicion that his decision had been made when he had found Sky sleeping in his NEXT. "How much of a delay? I'd like to get moving within the week, if not today or tomorrow."

Shining spoke up this time, "Well if I were to personally push the paperwork through while Cadence makes your introductions to the Empire, I think we could have this resolved later tonight."

"That actually doesn't sound bad, it'd give me a chance to plan a little more. Not to mention that I could get some supplies and-" He cut off, realizing that he had no money, "Actually, supplies are a bit limited since I have nothing to pay for it with."

Cadence giggled, "Well if it's money you're worried about, I could always put in a requisition for any supplies you need. Food or otherwise, as well as some money to keep the two of you afloat in Equestria. I can't do much, but it should be enough for the trip, and you're always welcome here in the Crystal Empire."

Shining nodded, "Agreed. We may not have known you for very long, but being a guard these last few years has taught me much about judging character. I'm sure that you're a good pony- er- human, and little Skylight will be in good hooves."

Liam chuckled, waving his fingers in front of his face, "Hands, actually. Anyway, I appreciate all that you've done for me. As far as waking up in a whole new world goes, this could've gone much worse."

Cadence rolled her eyes, "Come on you two, we've got introductions to make. We don't want everypony thinking you're some kind of monster any longer than they have to, right?"

"Yeah, that. That would be good," Liam fell into step beside the two, heading across the palace floor to a balcony on the other side. He couldn't keep the smirk off of his face, though.

Chapter 5: 180--Day 2

*****Chapter 5: 180--Day 2*****

Liam stepped out onto the balcony wearing a huge smile, Cadence and Shining Armor had stepped out ahead of him. Their announcement had drawn the attention of every pony in the city, and they were now waiting to see this new 'Friend of the Empire'.

The cheering was silenced as the ponies saw the man, standing a full head and shoulders over their Princess. Cadence shot him an apologetic smile, which he just chuckled at and turned to the crowd again.

"Crystal ponies," he began, voice amplified by a spell from Cadence. "I am kind of new here, so I'll keep my introduction short! My NEXT, the piece of machinery in the middle of the plaza there, is my vehicle, and my friend. Before awakening here, I had a vision, or a dream, in that dream I was told that I was to become a guardian to this world."

He caught a few confused glances in the crowd, even Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at him. "I come from a world of hardship and strife, where my species was foolish enough to wage wars on a global scale," he sighed, "We are all but extinct compared to our former glory."

The statement brought a gasp from several ponies, Cadence especially. "Do not pity me, or my kind. We were the ones to create such hatred and pain, and we adapted to live with the consequences. I see this as a new beginning for myself, one where I can work toward maintaining peace, instead of fighting another man's war!"

Hooves across the city stomped in approval, and Liam turned to look behind him for a moment. Skylight was standing at the entrance to the palace, he strode over and picked the filly up, allowing her to ride on his shoulders. He turned back to the crowd, a few 'aww's could be heard from the closer citizens as Skylight giggled and hugged the back of Liam's head.

With a smile, which turned into a devious grin as he decided on his next words, he raised his voice a little to ensure that his words wouldn't be missed, "Up until now, those that know me have called me Guardian. This is not my name."

Cadence could barely suppress the shock on her face, turning to look at the human with a little worry. Liam just smiled, he was tired of keeping up with the alias after only a day.

"My kind is somewhat of a myth to you, so I'll just put this out there. I am a human, and my name, is Liam."

A few startled gasps could be heard from the crowd, a mare or two fainted, he heard one or two scream 'YES!'. Most stared with a blank expression, or confusion. Skylight started to shake slightly, which worried him more than anything. Her reaction cut off whatever finishing line he had hastily prepared, and he gave one final wave and a forced smile before ducking back into the palace and making his way to his and Skylight's quarters.

Once inside the room, he set Sky gently on the bed. She backed away slowly, huddling down into a frightened, yet adorable, ball of feathers and fur.

Liam sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out a hand to her. She flinched away, but he didn't stop. Gently, he stroked her mane, and scratched a little behind her ears. She visibly relaxed, but Liam had to know.

"Sky, what's the matter?" he cooed to the filly, toning his voice to be kind and gentle.

Sky sniffed, peeking at his face from behind her hooves. "M-my daddy used to tell me stories about how hu-humans would come to get little fillies if they didn't behave," she squeaked.

Liam let out a silent chuckle, smiling warmly at the child. "If that were true, don't you think I'd have 'gotten' you by now, instead of taking care of you?"

She relaxed a little more, forgetting her fear and now looking confused, "But if that's true, then why did daddy lie to me?"

Liam sighed, lying down on the bed and pulling the filly into a hug. "He didn't lie, Sky. Everyone has stories about mean things that will hurt others, after a while, the story becomes more than just a story, and people believe that it's true because they don't know otherwise."

Sky nodded, not quite understanding, but no longer terrified of the human that had been so kind to her. Liam figured now was probably a good time to speak to her about the future.

"So Skylight," he began, his different tone causing the filly to look up at him. "In a few days, I'll be leaving for Equestria, and probably to see the rest of the world. I was thinking that you could come with me, and we could have some fun along the way. You know, see the sights."

She tilted her head, "You mean you're gonna adopt me?"

If Liam had been drinking, he would've choked right then, "W-well, yeah. I don't want you to have to-"

"Go to an orphanage," Sky sighed, interrupting him. "I know my mommy and daddy aren't coming back, the King's guards wouldn't let me forget that for a second before. But I know that they'd want me to be happy, no matter what."

Liam was taken aback by her sudden maturity, he wiped a single tear from her cheek, hugging her tighter and petting her mane to comfort her. So much for subtlety he thought. He noticed her yawn a bit, even though it was barely after noon, she was exhausted.

"You want to take a nap?" he asked, Sky just nodded, snuggling up close to him and closing her eyes. After a few minutes, she was fast asleep, and so was Liam.

Liam stirred slowly, realizing that he'd fallen asleep. With a quick glance at the clock, he heaved a sigh of relief as he realized that he'd only been out for about 30 minutes. Quietly, Liam disentangled himself from the sleeping filly's grip, heading to the washroom and turning the water on before splashing the icy liquid over his face.

He glanced at himself in the mirror, getting a good look for the first time since he'd shown up in the Empire. He wasn't displeased with his looks, although the stubble around his jaw was growing in uneven patches. He cursed his luck a bit, wishing he had a razor to shave with before shrugging it off and heading to his door.

Outside the door was a single guard, clad in crystalline armor. Liam was about to ask for his attention, but Shining Armor came barreling up the hallway as he inhaled to speak.

"Liam, we need you in the throne room, please," he panted.

Liam tilted his head, "Me? Why?"

"There's a lot of ponies here. . . they're not exactly taking your introduction as well as we'd hoped."

"Ah," he sighed, "Well I'd best go talk to them then. Guard, can you wait inside the room and escort Skylight to the throne room if she wakes up before I get back?"

The guard grunted an affirmative, turning to stand just inside the door before Liam jogged after an already moving Shining Armor.

"Can you tell me more about their complaints?" he asked, hoping to get some kind of response prepared for them.

"Eh," Shining shrugged, "They mostly heard the same bedtime stories I did. About how humans were monsters that would foal nap bad children and such."

"That's all? I figured they'd have more. . . realistic concerns."

"Some do, although the majority are things like: 'Is he going to eat us?'"

Liam chuckled as they made it to the door to the main hall, taking a moment to catch his breath before motioning to Shining to remain outside while he went in. He'd formulated something of a plan, though it was little more than a dramatic entrance. With a sigh he realized that he'd forgotten his sword back in his room, beside the bed.

He shook his head once, before stepping forward. He pushed the massive double doors aside easily, stalking forward with large strides. He had every intention to come off as dangerous, a being that was not to be fucked with. Cadence caught his entrance, as for the forty or so ponies crowded around her throne nagging, however, they did not.

He deflated a bit when he realized that none of the ponies had caught his dramatic entrance. . . but quickly ignored it when he caught what was being said. A particularly scrawny looking stallion toward the rear of the group was speaking.

"- filly that he had earlier? How do we not know that she was his lunch?!" he shouted, murmured agreements were thrown about as Liam crept up behind the snob.

Cadence glanced at him, he simply put a finger to his lips to silence her. She looked back to the group, "I'm aware of your concerns, but you simply must put aside your unfounded fears and get to know the real thing before you judge him." She shot Liam a sly smile as he got into position.

Twig, as Liam designated him, was quick to scoff at the idea. "Why I'll never even- Princess do you even know what he's capable of? Why if I ever saw him near my children I'd waste no time in slaying that monster!"

Liam idly scratched at his chin, mulling things over. A wide grin grew on his face as he decided what to do, although in contrast, Cadence's eyes slowly widened. She was silently pleading with him to be calm, although the audience apparently took it as shock at his words. More nods could be seen as Liam decided to play along with the crowd.

"How do we know that his plan is not to slay the royal family and take over all of Equestria!?" he shouted, using his best panicked tone. None of the group looked back at him, all too busy fawning over the idea of a bloodthirsty alien in their lands.

"You know, you're not helping at all," Cadence deadpanned, getting a few of the congregation to turn around in confusion, which quickly turned to shocked horror.

Liam widened his stance a little, still planning to unleash all kinds of fuck upon the sniveling brat in front of him. "But Cadi~," he whined, making up a pet name on the spot, "It's so much fun to mess with the short ones!"

The panic began. Ponies ran every which way except toward the human, who simply sighed and facepalmed.

"Enough!" Cadence shouted, causing most of the ponies to stop where they were. Liam calmly walked up to her throne, taking a seat on the third step like he had the day before. "If you could all stop being such foals about this, and actually listen, we might actually get something accomplished!"

A few ponies left, visibly upset, but the majority gathered around again, although much further away from the throne than before. Cadence nodded at Liam, giving him the spotlight.

"Alright, you all already know my name and what I am, so I'll just start taking questions." Every hoof in the room shot straight up, "Well, I can see we might be here for a bit." He chuckled, pointing to a pony in the far left corner of the front row.

"Are you here to eat us?" She asked, cowering a bit.

Liam sighed, "Really? Well, no. What I said earlier is true, I had some kind of vision or dream before waking up here, so I am to act as a protector."

"B-but you could eat us if you wanted?"

"That question is a trap," Liam sighed, "Let me put it this way. Throughout human history, there's only been two or three recorded occasions of humans eating equines, and as far as I know, those were horses. Before you freak out about that, know that those were only in extremely dire situations. Situations where it was either eat the horse, or eat your friend. Keep in mind also, that where I'm from, horses and ponies don't have any form of sapience. They can't talk, they don't have higher thought processes, just instinct and habit."

The ponies didn't look too convinced, some looked as if they were about to be sick. Liam pointed to the next pony in line, "Um, yes. What about the foal you had with you earlier?"

"Ah, her name's Skylight. She was abducted by slavers under Sombra, as were her parents. They both died during their enslavement, so I'm watching over her. Hopefully, the paperwork will go through and I'll be able to call her my daughter before too long," Liam smiled, "I've seen kids back home that go to the orphanages on the cradles, I don't want her to have to do that."

Most of the congregation relaxed, though not totally at ease. More hooves shot up in the air.

Liam sighed, "Let me try to answer a few questions before they're asked. I was told of a few children's stories involving my race, and I don't know what they are exactly. I do know that every society has stories intended to frighten their children into behaving. I know that back home, there's and old religious text that describes four horsemen that would herald the apocalypse.

"We don't eat ponies, in fact, they're rare now, though before I read that they were kept as pets. I also read that horses and ponies were used as a form of therapy for the mentally handicapped. They were seen as loveable, and were most often very well taken care of and prized by their handlers for their appearances and peaceful disposition." Liam looked around, seeing a few confused faces, but he didn't expect perfect results. Most of them were still suspicious, and a few even looked disgusted. "Alright, the moral of the story is, I'm a nice guy. If the Crystal Empire is ever in trouble, I'll head back here to assist in whatever capacity I can. Just please drop your prejudices and allow me a chance to prove myself."

With that, the throne room doors opened, revealing a sleepy looking Skylight, and the guard from his room. She yawned, making an adorable squeak. Liam smiled, standing and stepping through the crowd, which parted to make room for him as if he were going to lash out at any moment. Sky's face bore a smile as she trotted over to him, squealing happily as he scooped her up into his arms.

Most of the other ponies were apparently appeased with this display, and began to head out. A group of three in particular remained though, looking expectantly at the human.

"Can I help you?" He asked, scratching behind Sky's ears as she snuggled into his chest.

An older mare stepped forward, "Yes actually. We represent a group here in the Crystal Empire that studies old folklore and legends. Namely, humans. It's an obscure group, founded by a mare from the royal city in Canterlot over one thousand years ago. I don't know if it still exists outside of the Crystal Empire, but we were wondering if we could interview you. Perhaps record some of your knowledge of human history for study?"

Liam smiled, "Well sure, it's said that those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so I don't see the harm in teaching about my race. Maybe we can avoid some problems before they have to happen here."

The mare giggled. . . hungrily? "Oh this is fantastic! I'll get some supplies and we'll meet you here in an hour!"

"Actually, Ma'am. Hold on one moment," Liam said, turning to Cadence, "Would it be alright if we were to use the dining hall? I know I'm starving, and I think Sky here could use some food too." Sky's response was a deep growl from her belly, causing her to worm around to hide her face for a moment. Liam raised an eyebrow at the change in behavior from earlier, she was being much more clingy than she had been before her nap.

Cadence smiled, "I think that sounds like a good idea. I think myself and Shining would like to join you as well. We haven't eaten in a while either."

Chapter 6: Exhibition--Evening of Day 2

*****Chapter 6: Exhibition—Evening of day 2*****

Cadence sighed as she stood on the balcony of the royal suite, staring over the Crystal Empire, more importantly, staring at the NEXT that Liam called his own. She reflected on the lunch they had shared earlier in the day, remaining rather unimpressed with his assessment of his species.

It seemed to her that working as a mercenary had made him rather jaded toward his people, with the exception of two that he had mentioned in passing. One of them being his mother, and the other remaining unnamed. She had seen it, though. The pain and sorrow of losing a lover. What had surprised her more was the surge of love that flowed from him in the seconds after, it was pure, more pure than most married ponies, even.

The pink Alicorn sighed again, for what had to be the tenth time in the past ten minutes. She focused on the machine currently kneeling before the Crystal Palace. It was, in a way, alien. Completely foreign to the Crystal Empire, with its harsh and utilitarian design clashing against the organic and crystalline architecture around it.

And yet. . .

Her eyes drifted toward the sword at the NEXT’s hip, a nauseating wave of nostalgia sweeping over her.

That blade. . .

She turned back to her room, the one she shared with her husband. Stepping inside and turning to a stack of paperwork that she had seen to during the afternoon. With a flick of her magic, the papers hung in front of her, the discouraging assessment written by some clerk in the newly established foal services department glaring at her from the parchment. The interview over lunch had been no mere coincidence, although the Human research group had made a good cover for one of the members of foal services. It had taken almost no convincing on her part to get the group to the castle.

The report itself urged caution, if it was not outright distrustful of Liam. If Cadence was basing the outcome of the adoption on that report alone, she wouldn’t have hesitated to reject his candidacy for the adoption of Skylight. Being who he was, or what he was, though, she was hardly in a position to deny him this.

With that thought firmly in mind, she brought her seal down beside her signature of approval.

Liam lie flat on his back, the soft, downy form of Skylight tucked under his left arm. Her little barrel rising and falling in a peaceful rhythm as she slept. The only light in the room was a dim bedside lamp, made of some form of crystal that illuminated when touched. In his right hand was one of his last personal possessions, the gold watch that he had gotten from Catherine.

On the watch’s face was a beautiful embossed moon. Where the rest of the case was what appeared to be gold plate, the silver façade of the lunar surface gleamed at him in the cool light.

Liam rested on his back in the cool grass of the cradle greenhouse, watching the moon pass overhead through the thick glass.

Catherine, or Kat, as he so often called her, spoke softly next to him, “You know,” she mused, “I think tonight’s the winter solstice.”

He glanced over, grunting a quick ‘huh?’ as he noticed her cyan eyes locked on the silver orb overhead.

“The winter solstice,” she repeated, “The longest night of the year. It’s amazing that the moon is full tonight, it’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is,” Liam agreed, taking in the sight of Kat for what seemed like the first time. The two were only seventeen, but had known each other for what felt like forever. His eyes roamed her features, from her silky onyx hair, to her heavily tanned skin. She had an athletic build, and her eyes were something of an anomaly among the cradle. The doctors had told her it was benign, kojima exposure in the womb having mutated the already blue pigment in her eyes to a captivating turquoise.

Her waist length hair shifted as she turned to look back, seemingly unsure of herself. Liam rolled his head back to stare at the moon again, pressing his lips into a thin line as he felt his ears heat up a little. He felt a foreign presence in his hand, but didn’t dare look as he felt fingers interlock with his own.

He wanted to say something, anything, to her.

She shifted closer, now laying shoulder to shoulder with him, and sighed contentedly.

He opened his mouth to speak-

And the greenhouse’s flood lights snapped on, blinding them both.

A single tear rolled down Liam’s cheek, unnoticed. That moment was one he had come to regret in the years since. It had been their last substantial time together until his fateful mission. He could’ve sought her out, but he had convinced himself the next morning that she just wanted to be his friend. Convinced himself that, in the hell they were living in, where the extent of their travels could never take them beyond the cold, steel walls of the cradle, there was no chance.

”Oh well,” he thought, ”I hope she finds someone worthwhile.”

Still staring at the watch, tears in his eyes, Liam almost jumped when a tiny, smooth hoof reached up from Skylight. She gently wiped away the tears that she could reach, inching up onto his chest so she could reach the right side of his face.

Her antics brought forth a smile from the Lynx, as he glanced down at the filly. Her worried pout lifting into a hopeful, yet sad smile of her own.

A soft knock at the door broke the calm. Liam, placing Sky back on the bed as he stood and strode over to the door. On the floor, just inside the room, was a slim folder containing an intricate wax seal. He picked up the package, breaking the seal and pulling the few papers from within, among which was a letter of congratulations from the foal services department. He didn’t grant the letter much credit, seeing as the first line read, “Congratulations, lady or gentlecolt!”

What did catch his eye, though, was the documentation beneath it. A gold-embossed seal on an official adoption certificate, as well as a birth certificate (presumably brought up to date to be concurrent with the rest of the world) with the name “Skylight” clearly written in an intricate scrawl.

Liam smiled wide, his heart warming as he glanced from the paperwork to the now sleeping filly on his bed. He glanced at the clock, which read 11:30pm. Much too late to wake Sky to tell her the good news. The Lynx slid the papers back into the folder, placing it on the bedside table with the watch and the strange locket he had found. He slid back onto the bed, Sky curling into his side in her sleep with a small sigh.

That sigh rekindled the fire in his chest. To Liam, that sigh was one of safety. That sigh was his whole world as of that moment.

He lifted his head, planting a soft kiss between the filly’s ears, and swearing a silent vow that he would tear apart the demons of Hell with his bare hands if it meant seeing her safe and happy.

*****Morning of Day 3*****

Dear Princess Celestia;
I wanted to give you some notice in advance. Within the next week to ten days, a guest here at the Crystal Palace will be arriving in Canterlot. His appearance may be frightening at first, but as Shining and I have found out, he is a good pony. He will be bringing a heavy piece of equipment with him, and will need space to store it. It would be best if that space was out of the public view, as it is most definitely not a toy.

Best wishes;

Princess Cadence

Cadence grinned as she sealed the scroll and engulfed it in a teleportation field. That’s for all the vague letters you’ve sent me throughout the years, auntie.

Liam woke slowly, noticing first the sun peeking through the curtains, and then the soft snoring of a certain turquoise filly at his side. He smiled again, rolling on his side and running his fingers through her silky, auburn mane.

He got up before he accidentally woke her, replacing himself with a plush pillow, which was quickly snuggled, and headed to the washroom to prepare for the day. He took his piloting gear with him, as he had a special treat in mind for the day.

Stepping out of the steamy bathroom, Liam secured his helmet to his belt just in time to catch a speeding fur ball to the chest. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around the giggling filly, bringing her into a fierce hug.

“Good morning, you,” he said, scratching her ears, “Sleep well?”

Sky looked up at him warmly, “Mmhm!” She nodded, bobbing her head. Her mane, somehow, was still in perfect condition. Her bangs bouncing with the rest of her head.

“Good,” Liam smiled, “I have a treat for you today.” He paused for dramatic effect, Sky’s eyes growing wide, “First, the paperwork went through, so you’re stuck with me now.”

Sky smiled, tightening her hug a little. There was a little sadness behind it, but that was why he had told her about the adoption’s success first.

“Second,” he grinned, holding up two fingers, “How would you like to go flying today?”

“What?” Sky asked, tilting her head to the side and flicking an ear back. She craned her neck around, “But you don’t have wings, how are we supposed to fly?”

Liam laughed at her confusion, “I’ll show you. Just trust me, okay?”

Her face brightened back up, nodding again even as a knock was heard from the door. Liam set the excited Pegasus on the bed, walking to the door and pulling it open. Cadence was on the other side, and appeared surprised to see them both up and Liam in his full piloting kit.

“Oh,” she chirped, “Good morning, Liam.” She tilted her head to look around him, “And good morning to you, Skylight!” Said filly waved a cyan hoof at the princess.

“I’ll be right back, Sky,” Liam called over his shoulder. He motioned for the princess to follow him out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him and turning to face Cadence. “So what’s up?”

Cadence smiled at his casual attitude, quite tired of all the formality between the Empire and Canterlot. “Actually, I wanted to let you know that I’ve sent off a letter to Canterlot, telling Princess Celestia to expect your arrival within the next ten days.”

Liam nodded, “Good, hopefully that will limit the panic from the civilians when a giant robot flies overhead.”

Cadence’s face grew confused, “Flies?” She paused for a second, the gears turning in her head, “THAT THING CAN FLY!?” Her scream almost blasted Liam off his feet, he rocked back on his heels, laughing.

“Of course! I flew the other day, remember?” He managed through his chuckles.

“I – I can’t, what. . .” Cadence stuttered, words failing her for the first time in what felt like an eternity. After a few seconds, she recovered. “I thought it could just jump really high. . . but flight,” she trailed off.

“How about I show you,” Liam offered, still chuckling. “I wanted to take her up for a test flight today, to make sure all the systems are running clean for the trip. You’d be welcome to watch, of course. Skylight is going to be in the cockpit with me so I can familiarize her with what she’ll need to know during the trip.”

Cadence nodded, sighing, before turning and heading back toward her room with a subdued goodbye. Liam shook his head in amusement as he headed back into his room, finding an energetic filly surrounded by pillows on all sides, wearing a pillow case for a cape.

“Fire!” She shouted, launching a pillow from behind her with all the force she could muster. The pillow itself bounced off of Liam’s knees.

He glanced down at the pillow, then back at Skylight with a raised eyebrow. The filly’s response was a very theatrical gulp as she readied another pillow. Liam picked the one that had hit him up from the floor.

“You,” he growled, smirking, “Have no idea what you’ve started.”

And thus the fourth great pillow war began, lasting for a total of 45 minutes, and resulting in ten destroyed pillows, and four scarred maids. The war ended with a decisive victory for the Pegasus filly, or so she said, and she could not be convinced otherwise.

They will be remembered for their brave sacrifice.

Liam hauled himself and Skylight up the rope ladder to the cockpit, punching the entry code in and strapping Skylight into the jump seat at the back of the control pod.

“Remember,” Liam reminded her as he pulled on his helmet, “Don’t touch anything unless I tell you to. There are some very sensitive electronics in here, and I don’t want either of us getting hurt. Okay?”

“Yes, Sir!” Sky chirped, scrunching her muzzle up into a ‘serious’ face and throwing a hoof to her forehead in a mock salute.

Liam smiled, hauling himself into the pilot’s chair and strapping in his own restraints. His fingers danced across the controls, bringing the metal behemoth to life. The sun was high in the sky at this point, and to his displeasure he’d found that his NEXT had become quite the center of attention. The crowd around taking pictures with what appeared to be old Polaroid cameras, and occasionally sitting their kids or family members on the hands and feet to take pictures with the ‘giant’.

He’d shooed them off when he arrived, warning them that the NEXT was about to go active, not that it mattered to them. They crowded right back to the machine, pushing and shoving to get the best shots. He supposed it was to be expected, and grinned as he tapped an auxiliary screen, accessing one of the files within the several petabyte hard drives.

He keyed up the external speakers, before blasting a sound file over them. The effect was immediate, ponies pinned their ears to their heads as they ran for cover. Within a minute, Liam had the street all to himself, the ponies having backed off to a safe distance.

“You ready, Sky?” He asked, glancing back at the filly as he hit play on another file.

She nodded, staring forward at the displays in awe as they came to life to the chanting of a choir, granting her a full view of what the NEXT was looking at.

Cadence unpinned her ears from her skull, that horn had been LOUD, and she had heard Celestia use the Royal Canterlot Voice before. Her husband stood beside her, his ears still flat as he recovered from the shock.

Her ears perked up as music began emanating from the giant machine, the chanting of a choir. It sounded deep, almost ominous, as the machine rolled its shoulders. She watched in awe as small pops were heard from the back, clouds of dust being kicked up behind the machine as it stood to full height, easily looking down on the royal balcony. Most rooftops were about at its waist.

Liam grinned, slowly throttling up the thrusters as the song reached a crescendo. The NEXT rose off the ground as the music grew more intense, thrusters making minute adjustments in the form of tiny pops that resounded through the hull. His grin grew, the best part still to come, as he focused his optics on Cadence and Shining Armor, both trying in vain to keep their jaws off the floor.

And then the heavy guitar kicked in.

With an echoing WHUMP, the NEXT shot straight into the air. Gaining an easy hundred meters of altitude in a couple short seconds, before kicking the left leg forward, throwing the whole mech into a backflip and plummeting to thirty meters.

Flexing in harmony with the machine, the NEXT shot to the right, before shooting twice as far left. All of these actions taking place within a second, probably giving the observing ponies whiplash as they tried to keep up. Liam was fully immersed in the flow, now. He spun around, leveling his chest with the buildings as he kicked the thrusters into high gear.

Cadence’s eyes somehow widened even more as the massive machine came straight at her. Liam had already shown that it was capable of maneuverability that would put all but the most elite of Pegasi to shame, and now it hurtled straight at her at speeds she doubted anypony but Rainbow Dash could pull off. Just as she threw a shield around herself and Shining Armor, it stopped. They felt the hot blast of air, along with the resounding whump that came with several panels on the front opening, blasting blue and orange flame from them to halt the behemoth’s flight.

Liam kicked the machine to the side, skirting around the palace in a single burst of speed before leveling off and heading for the outskirts. Cadence tore her eyes away to check on Shining Armor, who despite his tough façade, was physically shaking next to his wife. She couldn’t tell if it was fear or anger, though, as she didn’t know which of those two she felt herself.

Skylight was not a complicated filly. She liked food, fun, laughing, and being impulsive every bit as much as the next filly.

But this. This was something entirely new. The first few seconds were spent in stunned silence, as her dad flipped and turned the giant machine with hardly any effort.

Then, they turned toward the outskirts and he floored it.

“WOOHOOOOO!” The little Pegasus screamed, throwing her forelegs in the air as she was pinned to the back of her seat.

Liam grinned, the inertial dampeners of the NEXT operating flawlessly. They couldn’t eliminate the force entirely, but they did reduce it by a substantial amount. The piece of technology made it possible to pull off extreme-G maneuvers without getting pasted across the inside of the cockpit.

Reaching the edge of the city, Liam’s mood brightened even further as he noticed the Kojima conduits throughout the LYNX were reading full. Even though the reactor was reading offline, which confused him for a moment before he decided to experiment, lost in the moment as he was.

He took off on standard thrust, flying a few meters off the ground. As he watched the scattered farm lands fly by, he made a critical error. He slammed his body forward, kicking the NEXT another fifty meters off the ground.

Igniting the NEXT’s Over-Boost thrusters.

Before he could stop it, Kojima particles flooded the oversized boosters on the mech’s back. Pillars of Kojima radiation combined with normal thrust plumes to slam the NEXT forward. He shattered the sound barrier immediately, the sound of the thrusters, and the music, vanishing as the behemoth simply outran them.

Corporal Broad Shield sighed, smoke coming from his mouth as he held a cigarette in his hoof. Border patrol was the worst, there was literally nothing that could get through the frozen wastes around the Crystal Empire, let alone threaten their borders. A low rumble in the distance made the tired guard glance back toward the city, before shrugging and looking up at the clouds.

As he did so, a huge shadow shot over him, and was gone in an instant.

KRA-BOOOOM

The Corporal’s cigarette was flung from his hoof, the long grasses of the farmland around him bending almost to the ground. He looked back up in shock, seeing the thing that had made that shadow spewing enormous plumes of green magic out of its back.

The Corporal’s mouth hung open, his eyes staring at the sky, as his hoof retrieved his cigarette. Still staring, he took another drag, coughed a bit, and sat down. . . where he would remain for the foreseeable future.

Cadence watched through binoculars as two panels on the back of Liam’s NEXT split open, revealing two huge boosters. She gasped slightly as energy erupted from them, the metal giant being thrown forward by pure magic.

She gritted her teeth, feeling the pressure of raw magic from so far away. It could be extremely harmful if not managed properly, but even as she made ready to move in and rectify the rogue energy, she felt it dissipate.

The magic around the NEXT was re-routing the raw magic particles, sending them back to the conduits they came from. Cadence sighed in relief, sensing no raw magic contaminating the area around the NEXT’s flight path even as the giant thrusters cut off a few seconds later. The machine flew in a lazy arc over the city proper, coming back to rest on the street. Cadence noted that the Crystal Heart’s magic had worn off during the flight, leaving a proud, tan and black figure standing before her. She was captivated by it, her eyes drifting over the flawless armor, the robust hydraulics and joints.

Her eyes were drawn to the side of the torso, where they stopped. What she saw chilled her blood, and her heart plummeted through the floor.

The insignia.

Familiar.

Author's Note

Here it is. I finally quit procrastinating for one evening and got this written.
Honestly, I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated anything. The days just blur together for me.
I'll try to get into a good rhythm with the updates, maybe once a week or so.
I make no promises, though, other than this one.
I WILL finish this story, no matter how long it takes or how many distractions or interruptions occur. It will be completed.

After checking the AC4A wiki, I have confirmed that, yes, Over Boost does put the NEXT into the supersonic range, about Mach 1.15
For those that don't know what a sonic boom sounds like, here's a high speed pass. It's not a real sonic boom, but pretty close.