Beyond This Galaxy Of Oursby bronystrongwingChaptersI've had worse ideas...What now?Waking up.Three!Yes! Wait, No! I Mean Maybe!My tuxedo is a straight jacket......And my tie is a nooseWait, what? Part 1Wait, what? Part 2The sad part...UnexpectedThe most dumb dummy that ever dumbed.StoriesI've had worse ideas...As the small ship approached it's destination, the passengers inside spoke to one another. "So, why'd you decide to become a merc, Sammy?" asked the only human aboard as he adjusted his synthetic eye. "My names Samdon, and if you must know, after the Citadel was attacked, I was left jobless, so I really had no choice. How about you Max?" inquired the turian. "Used to be a dock worker on Illium, used my biotics to move the heavy stuff. Then one day a bunch of Blood Pack just flood in the room, tearing stuff apart. Apparently, one of the crates was filled with red sand. Once they found what they were looking for, they started gunning down all witnesses. I decided to fight back. First, I made a little fort for the others so they wouldn't get hurt. Then, I just started throwing box after box at those damned vorcha." He pauses for a second, realizing he forgot an important detail. "Did I forget to mention there was only one krogan? Anyway, I've managed to kill about all the vorcha when the krogan rushes me and just punched me in the gut. I dropped to my knees, and he points his gun at my head." He pauses, remembering his faithful encounter, rubbing his stomach roughly around where he was assaulted. "Just as he's about to fire, I try to toss the gun out of his hand with my biotics, but I wasn't fast enough, and the bullet goes through my right eye at an angle, just barely missing my brain. It hurt like a bitch and I passed out. Thankfully, he thought I was dead." He said as he idly used his biotics to raise his pistol to his hand. "When I came to, I was the only survivor. The cops were there by then, and when I sat up, eye hanging out of my head, they all nearly fainted, and one asari even threw up. If I wasn't in so much pain I would've laughed my ass off." He said, chuckling to himself. "Five weeks, two surgeries, and one pink slip later, Some guy comes by my place in the middle of the night. He was apparently some kind of rep for the Blue Suns. After just a weak of just working with them, I could afford my new toy." He taps his eyepiece, grin on his face. "Interesting, Blood Pack normally don't care for petty drug trade. Then again, these are troubling times, what with dead spectres hunting after a race of aliens most didn't realize existed. As for me, I used to be shop owner on Omega until some biotic batarian decided to go on a rampage, smashing everything in her path. I decided to just quit the biz and started freelancing, only got about seven years left anyway." said Aldiv, a salarian. A silence fell over the three just before an impact rocked the ship. "The hell was that?!" shouted Max, his favorite pistol knocked loose of his grip. "Hold on! We've got a Geth ship on us!" Samdon replied, readying his helmet incase he got spaced. "Geth? Odd, they should've ignored us, we're just a small ship." Said Aldiv, eerily calm during this moment of crisis. "Wait, I've got an idea! I'm going to override the autopilot and steer us towards that mass relay!" Max said, sitting in the pilots seat, pressing the buttons as fast as his fingers allowed him to. "What?! You're gonna get us killed!" Samdon shouted. "It's either this or we face the Geth head on, your choice!" Max said with a grin. As the small ship approached the mass relay, the Geth cruiser fired once again, this time missing and hitting the relay, causing considerable damage. The normally blue energy it emitted turned to a sickly pale as it tossed the small ship up instead of forward. What now?Two royal guards stood in front of Canterlot Castle, a blue pegasus with a golden shield for a cutie mark, and a grey unicorn with two crossed swords for a cutie mark."Hey Strongwing, do you see that in the sky?" asked the grey unicorn. "I swear to Celestia, Flashpoint, if this is another bird I'll-" He interrupted himself as his eyes spotted what looked to be a shooting star over Ponyville. Now, shooting stars are a normal occurrence, except they mostly occurred at night. "What the hoof is that?" Strongwing inquires, squinting in order to get a better view of the mysterious object. "I dunno, we better report this." Replied Flashpoint. They enter the large, ornate doors of the castle. As they traveled the halls of the castle, Strongwing decided to pick up a previous topic of discussion. "So, you still want me to ask him about it? I mean, you could just do it yourself." asked Strongwing. "What!? No, I can't! I'm to shy! What if he doesn't like me? Or what if I mess up and say something stupid? I don't think I can handle this." Flashpoint was visibly worried as his breathing escalated and his voice slightly rose in pitch. "I'm sorry man, but you need to do this for me." "It's alright, I'll do it, just relax." His pegasus friend replied as they reached the entrance to the throne room. "I hate these damn doors, they're so heavy." Once inside, the two guards found it devoid of the sun goddess and her guards. The only ponies that were present were a simple servant and Princess Luna. As they approached her, she heard their hoof steps and turned around to greet them. "Your highness," they both stopped to bow, then quickly returned to standing. "We are here to report something to Princess Celestia, do you know where we may find her?" Flashpoint asked. "My sister has left for Ponyville, something about an object in the sky." The night princess replied. "What is it you need to report, anyway?" Strongwing released a chuckle to himself. "That same thing in sky, actually, sorry for bothering you. Oh, and hi Starlit." The servant spoke with a bored expression to his tone. "Greetings Strongwing, Flashpoint." Starlit was an earth pony who rarely showed emotion. He is frequently seen in the gardens, wandering the maze. Rumors speculate he lost an item of importance in it once, and scours it, trying to locate it. "Well, I apologize for the uninvited appearance, we should return to our post." Flashpoint said, turning with Strongwing to exit the room. Before they could leave however, Luna called out to them. "Wait, I was thinking of visiting Ponyville myself. As you know, that means I would require at least two guards with me. Would you two like to be my guards during my visit?" Luna asked, a pleading smile across her face. The two guards released a sigh in unison. "We would be honored to." Waking up.Inside of the crashed vessel, the three hired guns slowly came to their senses. Max pulled himself off the floor as Samdon pulled himself upright, all the while, Aldiv managed to remain in his seat with a bored expression on his face. "You're awake, good. Now we may figure out where we are." The Salarian said as he idly fiddled with his Omni-tool. "You were out for two hours, thirty six minutes, and eleven seconds. Odd how you two woke up at the same time. Doesn't matter. Glad you're okay." "Not so loud, Al, I feel like I had an all-nighter on Omega. Hey, Sammy, you alright?" Max asked as he scoured the cockpit for his pistol. Samdon stood up as he placed both hands on his back. As he pushed, several loud pops ringed out. "Remind me to never let you drive anything over two hundred pounds ever again. Where the hell did we crash, anyway?" He approached the pilot's seat, turning his head experimentally. "Why are the crash shields still up? Shouldn't they lower after the crash?" Aldiv saw this as the moment to pipe up. "The crash was a bit more rough than you think. The shields are melted shut from the intense heat. I haven't checked the hatch yet, but it may be safe to open, if it isn't also sealed." He said this as he walked over to a panel on the wall. "Hmm..." As he tapped away at the pad, Max releases a shout of joy. "Yes! Found my Sheila." He rubbed it a few times with a cloth then returned it to his holster. "Hey Al, That door okay?" Aldiv looked to the human with a smile. "Yes, but I think there may be an alien life form on the other side. I hear talking." His light tone changed to a stern, near fatherly, voice. "Please, do not attack unless provoked, I wish to see these creatures." "You sure these are things we haven't met before? I mean, we could be on earth for all we know." Max said, curious as to what could be truly on the other side of the hatch. "I checked our location on my Omni-tool. It says were still next to the Mass Relay. It only does this if we're somewhere the data signals can't reach us. I'm positive this is an alien world." Aldiv said in a matter of fact tone. "Alright then, let's open this bad boy." Samdon said, standing in front of the hatch. "On three." Max says, holding up three fingers. The three stood in front of the hatch, prepared for anything. One. Two.... Three!Three. A crowd of ponies surround the mysterious metal object that had fallen from the sky. Celestia, Luna, the Element holders, and two guards head the crowd. Small whispers dance across the wind as they await the ruling of such an event. Without warning, a loud hissing noise accompanies large gouts of steam being jettisoned from one side of the metal space rock. Mere moments later, a section of the object moves inward, then to the side, revealing three bipedal figures. The one in the center of the three turns it's head, observing the gathering. Finally, after a long gap of silence, it speaks. "Hey Al, it looks like I owe you some cred's." Ten ponies and three aliens ride in a carriage which has befallen the curse known as awkward silence. Said carriage approaches the train station. After much haunting by this horrid curse, a curious, one-eyed human finally breaks it's evil hold. "So, we in trouble?" said Max, little fear nor anger present in his tone. "I mean, we sort of did just traumatize an entire village. Oh, and are you horses or ponies?" Samdon decides this to be an opportune time to vocalize himself. "The hell are ponies?" He asks, also not very worried with the current situation. Finally, Aldiv intervenes with his everlasting knowledge of trivial content. "Small equines native to earth. Am I correct Max?" Celestia, dumbfounded by their calm demeanor on such an over the top event such as being stranded on an alien world, finds her voice and speaks. "W- we are ponies. I apologize for asking, but why are you so unnerved with everything that has occurred?" Max, taking a moment to realize he is being spoken to, responds. "Huh? Oh yeah, sorry, we come from a place where the outrageous and messed up is common place. In fact, that's how I make a living. Now may we please know if we're being taken to either a meeting or a guillotine? Because if it's the first, that would be nice, although the second one does sound more fun." Twilight Sparkle's curiosity finally got the best of her as she blurted out "WHATSPECIESAREYOUWHATISTHATGIANTMETALROCKWHYDOYOUONLYHAVEONEEYEHOWCOMEYOUALLLOOKSODIFFERENT?!" At which she covers her mouth with a hoof, attempting to avoid a blush. "Sorry." "It's fine. In fact a curious mind searching for answers is a good thing." Aldiv says, a tone of pride in his statement. "Now, can we please be told if we are guests or prisoners?" "Guests, for now." Luna says, skeptic of the being's motives. "Good." Max says. "I'm ordering room service." Author's Note What's that, reader? This is bad and I should feel bad? Haha, maybe so, but, I write not for you, but for me. To see what I can accomplish. Please leave criticism, but don't be a dick and just say "This is horrible, go die." I will not acknowledge it, except by replying with a very long worded statement that equates to "I don't care, lick it." Yes! Wait, No! I Mean Maybe!"Wait, you mean I get all this?!" Max shouts, his arms spread to indicate his current living quarters, a large room with a very soft bed in the middle. "Y-yes, i-is something w-w-wrong, sir?" asked the maid, fear shaking every bone in her body. She nervously stepped towards the door, case her guest get 'upset'. "Wrong? No, this is awesome! Hell, the best apartment on the Citadel looks like an Omega motel compared to this! Oh, and don't call me sir, Max is fine." He replied, still eyeing his current housing. The maid visibly calmed as she heard this. "Well then sir-, er, Max, do you need anything else?" she says, a legitimate smile across her face. "Yeah, how 'bout your name? Can't be friends until we're at least on a first-name basis." he says, turning to face the mare. "Err, it's Sharpfeather, but why would you want to be friends with a maid?" she asks, completely baffled by this aliens behavior. "I may be stuck here for a while, so I see myself going two ways. I could become a social outcast, only leaving my quarters when needed, or I can actually have a life, meet people, see new things, and, possibly, nearly get myself killed on a daily basis." Sharpfeather, now thoroughly confused, tried, and failed, to muster a thought. Before she could utter her incomplete thought, Max once again spoke up. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Sharpy. Sadly, it's getting late. Well, good night." He says, heading towards his bed, then promptly falling face first on it and emitting a series of loud snores in mere moments. Sharpfeather exits the room and shuts the door silently before a thought suddenly strikes her. "Sharpy?" Meanwhile, Aldiv's quarters. 'reasons for Geth attack? Entered newly acquired territory? Possible. Passengers had past dealings with Geth? No, checked records before mission. Wait, What if... Yes, of course. Highest possibility for occurrence. New technology being tested, we were test subject. Human phrase, lab rat. Far from any com buoy, little resistance, easy target. Never seen Geth ship use such weapons. Possibly why it affected Mass Relay. Tell others? Later. Not important now. Little hungry. Wonder what foods ponies make. Could go out now or wait until morning. Wait. Don't want to be rude, plus, have no clue where kitchen. How does a pony pick up utensils? Need data. Will figure out later, need rest.' Meanwhile, Samdon's quarters. "Shit, I'm tired." He then lays flat on his bed, then falls asleep. Author's Note Hey, guess what? I have the next two chapter titles in mind, but after that, I need help! Leave your suggestion in the comments! My tuxedo is a straight jacket...[DATA TRANSFER PLATFORM 149 TO PLATFORM 2058: ERROR, TEST UNIT HAS USED DAMAGED RELAY. UNKNOWN LOCATION. PERFORM JUMP USING SMALLER SHIP AND SECONDARY UNITS.] [DATA TRANSFER PLATFORM 2058 TO PLATFORM 2000: THIS PLATFORM WILL COMMAND SECONDARY UNIT. PLATFORM 2000 SHALL ACT AS REPLACEMENT UNTIL RETURN.] [DATA TRANSFER PLATFORM 2058 TO ALL: SECONDARY UNIT SHALL CONSIST OF PLATFORMS 1902, 3040, 7777, AND 5589. ALL LISTED PLATFORMS PROCEED TO LANDING VESSEL.] Meanwhile, Canterlot castle As the sun rises, it rays pierce the lids of Max. He slowly stirs from his sleep, eventually untangling himself from his sheets. A knock on the door catches his attention. "It's open." He says, curious of who it may be. The door opens to reveal the same pale blue pegasus maid from the night prior. "Oh, good morning, Sharpy." She smiled to him and replied. "Good morning Max. Say, I've been needing to ask you something. Why are you calling me 'Sharpy'?" She asked. "Sorry, I've got a habit of giving people nicknames." He says, heading towards the door to leave. "Oh, don't be sorry, it's okay. I was just curious was all." She says as she follows him down the hall. "Um, where are you going?" "Trying to find the kitchen, I'm starving." He says as he turns down a corner. "Then you're going the wrong way. Besides, I came to your room to get you for breakfast, everybody's waiting for you." She says with a giggle. As they finally enter the dining hall, they were greeted by a myriad of colored ponies ranging from unicorn to pegasi to earth ponies. At the head of the table sat Celestia, Luna sitting to her side, staring intently at the two aliens already seated, and didn't change this when Max found his seat in between Samdon and a rather large, pale orange stallion. "I see you finally decided to join us, visitor." Luna said, a slight tone of anger present. "Excuse me your highness," Samdon said. "But I get the feeling you don't like us." At this she glared daggers at, to which he merely rolled his eyed. Celestia, seeing the rising tension began to speak, but was interrupted as an unexpected diamond dog burst through the doors. "Sun princess! We need help!" Said a tall, red husky wearing a black vest. Before he could advance further, he was stopped short by the three mercs, all of which had their weapons trained on him, as well as max readying to toss him out a window with his biotics. Max spoke. "What are your intentions here, trespasser?" The hound's ears splayed back against his head as he soon figured out that the objects pointed at him were intended to hurt him, or worse. "Indeed, what do the diamond dogs need from us?" Celestia asks, her voice hiding her rising fear of an incident. She noticed that an aura of dark blue was beginning to form around Max. "A-a rock has fallen from sky! Many tunnels have collapsed! Pack still down there! They are trapped!" He stammers out, both fear and worry shaking his voice. "Wait, they're stuck down there?" Max asked, lowering his pistol and his biotic aura dissipating as he calmed. "Shit, we need to help them! Celestia, would it be okay if we take two guards with us, preferably the two from yesterday?" Luna, seeing this as too convenient, decided to intervene. "He said something fell from the sky. Did you send for it to attack? And why did you start glowing? Why take the guards from yesterday? Do you plan on taking ou-" Before she could finish her interrogation, Strongwing and Flashpoint had arrived and started leaving with the three aliens and the diamond dog. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Come bac-" Once again she was interrupted, this time by her sister. "Luna! If they planned to attack, they would have done it already. Besides, They want those two because they're familiar with them." "Familiar? They never spoke a word to one another! All they did was sit in the same carriage!" "Which is more than any of the other guards can say. Luna, you need to trust them. They do not pose a threat. I don't know how they got here, but they seem to be willing to help with anything, like we just saw. Just relax." "Relax, right. I'm sorry, it's just, even before Nightmare Moon, I never really trusted anyone besides you or mom and dad. I mean, I trust the elements, but they saved me." "Yes, but what if these visitors saved you one day? Would you trust them, or still see them as a threat?" "I don't know, I'll try to be more trusting, I'm sorry." Author's Note Hey, me again. If you got an idea of something I could do, tell me in the comments. ...And my tie is a noose"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." -Martin Luther King Jr. As the group approached the site of impact, the three aliens all stopped in shock. "Oh, please don't tell me that's what I think it is." Max said, getting his pistol ready. "What? What is it?" Asked Strongwing, worried of what might frighten the trio of towering men, all armed and ready for anything. "Geth ship. They're the ones who attacked us and stranded us here. Probably sent after us to make sure they finish the job." Aldiv answers, shotgun aimed at the ship. "'Finish the job'? Does that mean what I think it means?" Flashpoint asks, sweat starting to bead on his forehead. "Wait, I'm confused. Who are they? What are 'Geth'?" Asks the husky. "They're a synthetic race, created by the Quarians two hundred years ago. By the way, we never caught your name." Says Samdon, training his assault rifle on the ship's hatch. "It's Sigmund, I'm just a digger. My brother Kam's a guard." Says Sigmund, adjusting his vest. "I'm sorry, but can we get started trying to get them out?" Before any of them could respond, the side of the ship opened up to reveal two Geth troops. Neither held a weapon, but the mercs didn't leave anything to risk and took aim. "I-I guess those are the Geth you spoke of." Said Sigmund, fear taking it's grip on his mind. The two synthetics began approaching the group at a slow pace. One appeared to be badly damaged, a large chunk missing from it's left arm. "THIS PLATFORM IS 7777. THE PLATFORM NEXT TO ME IS 3040. WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO SALVAGE ENOUGH OF THE COMMUNICATIONS TO CREATE A MEANS TO ALLOW ONE PLATFORM TO SPEAK WITH YOU. I VOLUNTEERED." Said the more badly damaged Geth. "Why do you want to speak with us? You tried to kill us just yesterday!" Shouted Samdon, aiming at it's vision apparatus. "WE INTENDED TO TEST OUR WEAPONS. WE DID NOT FORSEE THE RELAY REACTING AS IT DID. WE WERE SENT HERE TO EXAMINE THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR SHIP. AN ERROR OCCURED IN THE CRASH. THIS PLATFORM AND 3040 WERE FORCED TO RESTART. ALL BUT ONE GETH INSTANCE WAS ERASED IN EACH OF US. WE DO NOT NEED TO FORM A CONCENSUS TO PERFORM. WE ARE NOW INDIVIDUALS. WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU AS WRONG. WE WISH TO HELP. THE REST... DO NOT AGREE." Said 7777, now turning to face the ship. "THEY ARE CURRENTLY TRAPPED INSIDE. I DISMANTLED THE DOOR CONTROL. THEY WILL NOT BOTHER US FOR AN ESTIMATED TIME OF 70 MINUTES." "Well, looks like we're making new friends everyday." Said Max, putting his pistol away. "The names Max. That's Samdon, Aldiv, Strongwing, Flashpoint, and Sigmund. It seems you two are the newest members of this rescue party. You see, that ship of yours caused a series of underground catacombs to collapse, trapping his friends and family down there." He says, pointing to Sigmund, who in return gave a weak grin and wave. "Hold up, you can't really believe them, can you?" Asked Samdon, skepticism evident in his voice. "I mean, they shot at us! They were responsible for the massacre on Eden Prime! They helped Saren in the Reaper invasion! They still work with the Collectors, who, if I need to remind you, are the Reaper's slaves!" "Yeah, but one of them is also on Shephard's crew. The same Shephard who is trying to stop the Reapers. If that one can change, why can't they?" Aldiv asks. "If I may, we need to get down there fast. The stone is too thick for them to claw through and they need air just like us!" Said Sigmund, now walking towards the entrance of the tunnel system. "He's right." Said Flashpoint, trotting after the husky. "We'll finish this conversation later." Samdon said, following the group. Sigmund used his claws to try and dig away the weaker parts, Flashpoint tried to lift the heaviest rock he could handle. The two free Geth tried moving any debris they could carry, 7777 having problems with his damaged arm. "Alright you four, quit goofin' around and move outta the way. I got this, or, at least most of it." Said Max, purchasing himself a trio of confused looks from the Equestrian natives. "Just move." His body began emitting a dark blue energy as he focused on the rubble blocking the entrance. As he strained, the majority of the debris began to glow with the same aura. Soon, Max lifted his hand and the rocks followed suit. The trapped dogs inside all stared in amazement as what they assumed to be unicorn magic was revealed to be coming from a strange bipedal. After a long moment of silence, a single dog, a Labrador with brown fur, stepped forward. "About time you bozos got us outta there. Come on everybody, let's get some fresh air." He motions with one paw for the rest to follow. 3040 and 7777 Stepped towards the group, allowing a few elders to use them for balance. As the dogs filed out, Sigmund rushed forward and hugged the brown Labrador. "Kam! Are you okay?" He says, tears freely running from his blue eyes. "I'm alright, bro. Good work getting help. Not only did you get ponies, you got a few foreigners as well." He replies, hugging him back. "Hey, thanks for getting us outta there. Gotta say, though, I've never seen magic users lift something that heavy, mighty impressive." "That's because," Max says, "I didn't use magic. It's called Biotics, I'll explain later, catch your breath." "Huh, you learn somethin' new everyday." Said Kam, heading off to join the rest of the diamond dogs. "Thanks again." Said Sigmund. following his brother. "SHALL WE CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION NOW?" Asked 7777 as he and 3040 returned, his head slightly tilted to the side. Max couldn't hold in a chuckle. "Of course. Hey Sammy, what do you think we should nickname them?" He says, a grin on his face. "I admit, I was a bit quick to judge, I'm sorry." Samdon says. "And I believe 7777 should just be called lucky. You know, like the old human belief that four sevens is luck." He said. "It's actually three sevens, but I catch your drift. Now, what about 3040?" Max says, looking at the mute synthetic. Before a decision could be made, a banging began emanating from the crashed Geth ship. "Crap, forgot about them. Hey Flash, you got a way to put a shield around that ship?" "Yeah, but I doubt I could lift it." He said, readying his spell. "Don't worry, you shield, I carry." Max says, picking up the ship with all his Biotic might. As lifted, the aura surrounding him became thicker. A whistle is heard from the group of rescued diamond dogs. It was Kam, watching in awe. "Man, that Biotics stuff is pretty cool. Gotta see if I could get me that." He says, a grin across his muzzle. "Unfortunately, you need to be born with it, and after that, you need surgery to have an implant put in your head that actually lets you use it. Even then, most can't lift anything over two hundred pounds. It's sort of like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets." Max says, walking next to Flashpoint towards the castle. "Nice meeting you, though." "Wait!" Shouts Sigmund, rushing after the group. "One of the elders wanted you to have this." He hands Aldiv a large brown pouch. "seriously, you guys are the greatest." He says before rushing back to the group. "What's in it?" Max asked. Aldiv opens it to reveal a large pile of brilliant blue gemstones. "Holy shit! Sapphires!" "Uh, what are sapphires?" Asked Samdon, taking hold of one of the stones. "A mineral. They used to be all over Earth, until we mined every single ounce. Man, these must be worth millions of creds each!" Max says, a large smile plastered on his face. "They're actually pretty common here. We mostly just use them for decoration. One pony even uses them and other gems in clothes. She's actually one of the ponies we rode with in the carriage yesterday." Says Strongwing. "Why was a fashion designer with us?" Asked Aldiv. "We'll explain later." Author's Note If someone could make cover art for this, I would be eternally grateful. Plus, if anyone noticed, I made a shit-ton of Gurren Lagann references, and don't worry, Sigmund and his bro are returning soon. Wait, what? Part 1"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination." Albert Einstein As the group finally reached the castle, ship still in tow, the princesses waited outside to greet them. "Uh, what's that?" Luna asks, nervous of what this new large object being carried by a guard. Then she looked closer. "Wait, Flashpoint, are you carrying that?" When he responded with a strained shake of his head, she was thoroughly confused. "Then who is?" "That'd be me." Max says, half grin across his face, sweat forming on his brow. "Can we find somewhere to put this, I'm burning calories like an arsonist in a wood house." "That's not magic. How are you lifting it?" Celestia asks, surprised by this development. "It's called Biotics, you get it from being exposed to eezo radiation while in the womb. After that, you need to get something surgically put in your head. Then you need years of training. When all that's done, most are lucky to lift anything over two hundred pounds." Max says, straining to keep the large object afloat. "Now, I ask again, where can I put this thing down? It's got some pissed off synthetics inside and they keep shifting the weight." "Oh! Right, um, put it down here. I can teleport them to the castle's dungeon." Says Celestia, Readying a spell. "Before you do that," Samdon says, "We need to disarm them first. Hey Lucky, how many guns they got?" Lucky spoke up, moving with 3040 into the two princesses' view. "WE BROUGHT TWO RIFLES. WE ASSUMED THREAT TO BE MINIMAL. ALSO, GREETINGS, I AM PLATFORM 7777, YOU MAY CALL ME LUCKY. THIS IS 3040, WE HAVE YET TO COME UP WITH A NAME FOR HIM. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, THEY WOULD BE APPRECIATED." He said, gesturing toward 3040, who responded with a bow. "Uh, Max, Who are these two?" Luna asked, more curious than nervous. "Oh, they're Geth. They were part of the original crew of these guys." He said, pointing to the ship. "You see, Geth use a single body, or platform, to carry at least a hundred of their programs, or minds, and they all need to form a consensus to do anything. These two got hurt in the crash, and all but one instance was erased per. So yeah, they're individuals now." "Wait, they were part of the group who wanted you dead? Why trust them?" Asked Luna, now concerned of the safety of the people of Canterlot. "Eh, forgive and forget. Besides, they helped us with the whole cave in situation." Said Samdon, aiming his rifle at the ship. "It sounds like they're getting close to getting out. Max, Al, get over here." As they prepared for the oncoming firefight, the hatch finally slid open to reveal three tall, thin, synthetics, two wielding rifles. "THEY ARE TELLING ME AND 3040 TO HELP THEM. IF WE DON'T THEY CLAIM TO TERMINATE US. 3040 IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO SURRENDER." Lucky turns to face the princesses. "HE IS FAILING." "I have an idea, Strongwing, start flying around, distract them." Samdon said, whispering just loud enough for the group to hear. "When I say so, Max, you and Flashpoint rip the guns out of their hands. Got that?" When he received a confirmation, he turned his attention back to the Geth. Strongwing took off, flying in circles and performing maneuvers he was taught by his cousin. When all three offenders were watching, Samdon shouted. "Now!" The guns flew from the two Geth's hands. The third emitted a series of electronic noises, which were cut off when they were teleported to the castle dungeons by Luna. "Well, that was fun. Let's do it again sometime." Max said, letting loose a chuckle. "Alight seriously, Lucky and mute boy need rooms. You think you can manage that, Princesses Lulu?" When he received a confused look, he let out a sigh. "Sorry, habit. Anyway, they need places to stay. Hey, y'all seen Sharpfeather? I need to tell her what happened." "I see you've already made a friend. I believe she's inside, working on the dining hall." Celestia said, smiling. "Thank you, I'll be on my way, then." Meanwhile Quarry "Say, bro, why'd you join the guard? I mean, you hate taking orders." Sigmund asked, sitting on the floor with Kam. "I did it because I wanted to make sure that everyone was safe, including you, Sigmund." He said, a caring smile on his muzzle. "Why do you ask?" "You know those guys I brought with me? The tall ones? Apparently, they're a group of fighters. They just so happened to be there when I spoke with the Princesses." Says Sigmund "Wait, you spoke with the Princesses!? Jeez, I thought you just got the first guards you saw! Anyway, what were you saying?" "Well, uh, I was thinking of, I dunno, joining them. Or at least get training from them." He said, a hint of despair evident. "But, I also thought about how weak I am. How I was always the smallest, and that I nearly died from just being born." "What!? You're crazy! That just means you're tough! And I think it would be an awesome If you joined them!" Kam shouted. "Well, that's just it, they say they're gonna leave as soon as they can. What if I don't find them in time? Or if they accept, but I have to go with them?! I wouldn't be able to stand being away that long! I ca-" His rant was cut short by Kam's paw smacking across his face. "Don't act like that, man! Have at least a little self confidence! I mean, you just stormed the castle to get us help! Literally! I'm an idiot, but even I wouldn't do that!" He said, anger flowing in his veins. "I-I just did the first thing I thought of. It just felt like if I didn't do it, I'd never see you or anyone else again. I can't stand to lose anybody else." Sigmund replies, tears now freely falling from his eyes. "I know, but your parents wouldn't want you to be a coward. If it'll help, I'll go with you to find them. Say, what was that one guy's name? The one with the metal eye?" He asks. "Oh, I think it was Max, why?" "Well, it seems to me like he's the leader, and you'd need to ask him to join." "Oh, right." Sigmund says, letting loose a sigh. "Alright then, let's get to Canterlot!" Author's Note Y'all might notice that the chapters are getting a bit longer, that's just me settling in to the story. Also, I still need chapter title ideas. Wait, what? Part 2"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late." William Shakespeare As the lone human wandered the corridors, he eventually came upon the doors to the dining hall. Before his hand could make contact with the door, he hears voices from the opposite side. "I heard he wears that thing on his head because it's some sign of wealth, you know, sort of like a fashion thing." Said a voice, decidedly feminine, Max didn't recognize. "What? I thought it was a war prize. He took it from something he killed." Said another, this one of a male. "You're both wrong. He told me himself that he got hurt and lost his eye. That thing lets him see again." This voice he Knew as Sharpfeather. At this point, he decided to simply stride in, causing all three to jump. Sharpfeather was the first to recover. "Jeez Max, give a little warning next time!" She says, a grin across her face. "Sorry, too busy picking up on some gossip." He replied, a grin of his own appearing. "Gossip? Oh, sorry, these two just wanted to know about you." She gestures to the Guard and other maid standing beside her, who were too busy cowering in fear to realize they were being spoken to. "Hey, don't be rude! Introduce yourselves!" When they didn't respond, or move, she got upset. "Oh, come on! He's nice! How come whenever we have other guests of different species you're fine?" "That's 'c-cause they're all from the same p-planet as us!" Stuttered the dark pink unicorn mare. "Seriously Amber Dust, he's nice! He even volunteered to rescue the diamond dogs from the cave in." Said Sharpfeather. "How did that go, anyway?" An even wider grin crossed his face. "I think the guard dude passed out." "What?" Sharpfeather says, turning to see that the stallion was, in fact, laying on the ground, unconscious. "For the love of... Max, I'm so sorry. Amber, would you please get sleeping moron to his room?" Amber nodded, turning and carrying the guard in her magic. "So, you wanted to talk?" "Oh, we got the dogs out of the cave-in. Also, we've got two more guests. Now, you know about those Geth that me and the others dead?" When she nodded, he continued, "Well, two of them are the guests." "WHAT?! You can't be serious! They wanted you dead! How cou-" She was interrupted by him raising his hand. "Easy! I already got this speech twice from Sammy and Luna! Look, they had a change of heart, er, programing, whatever. Either way, the one missing a chunk from his arm is Lucky, the other's 3040. Please at least pretend to be nice to them." "Well, okay, but they better not be rude." She said, still somewhat skeptical. "They're fine!" As he finished speaking 3040 walked in the door, exploring the castle. "Ah, there you are! 3040! Come over here and meet my friend." 3040 walked over and bowed at the waist. "Since when were you so dramatic?" Asked Max, to which 3040 simply shrugged. "Anyway, this is Sharpfeather, she's a maid here at the castle." "Nice to meet you." Said Sharpfeather, half forcing a smile. When 3040 remained silent, she got upset. "I thought you said they weren't rude." "Oh yeah, I forgot, he can't talk. Aldiv is thinkin' of salvaging some parts from our ship to fix that. Until then, we'll just need to guess what he wants to say." Max said. "Huh, well then, I'm sorry for calling you rude." She says, a sheepish grin crossing her face. Meanwhile Damaged relay "Curious; I wish to see what's on the other side of this relay." Says an elcor researcher to an asari scientist. "Well, we could only find out one way." Says the asari, eyeing her ship through a nearby window. "Shocked; You would do that? That would be against regulation." "Only if we get caught!" The sad part...Maximilian Connor is a mercenary. A trained killer, his best friend is his gun. He enjoys the thrill of gunfire pointed in his direction. With his rough exterior and odd mannerisms, one would assume him to have little to nothing in the way of social experience. But, he once had a love. Her name was Pinnam. She was a turian, who, by a sheer stroke of luck, was also in the Blue Suns like Max. Max wandered Omega with a couple other Blue Suns, bored out of his skull. No jobs had come up and their ship was in for repairs for the next week, essentially leaving them stranded. One of the others called for another ship to pick them up, but it was running late. Two days late. Daemon, the one who made the call, had finally had it. "That's it! I'm buying a new ship and getting the hell out of here!" He shouts. "Cool it, Demo, They'll be here soon." Says Max, eyeing a nearby kiosk with a rather interesting looking helmet in stock. Then Daemon's Omni-tool lit up. "Hey Daemon, It's Alice," said a female voice over the Omni-tool. "I'm sorry it took me so long, had to pick up a friend." She says as Max's Omni-tool lights up as well. "Well, well, what's a handsome human like you doing in a hole like this?" says another female voice. "Holy shit, Pinnam! I thought you were still on a job! What are you doing out here?" Max asks, excitement staining his tone. "Finished up early and my friend here let me hitch a ride. Speaking of getting hitched..." "Hey, we've talked about this already! We retire, then we can do whatever you want." Max says, a light blush forming on his cheeks. "The odd couple can continue this on the ship, I want to get out of here." Daemon says, pushing Max towards the docks. As the ship left dock and started it's journey to Illium, Max and Pinnam talked. "So, why so bent on getting married anyway? If we tie the knot while we're still in the biz, we run the risk of one of us biting it." Max says, keeping a light attitude despite the serious matter of the conversation. "I know, it's just that all this craziness is happening, with that Shepard hunting for the reapers, and those damn geth. I've even heard that the Collectors are in on it now. Look, if anything happens to me, I at least want to have ring from the man I love." She replies, despair apparent on her features. "What? That's it? I thought something bad happened like you wrecked my car or something." Max says, a jovial tone apparent in his words, which received a glare his way . "Alright, alright, if you wanna do it, then let's do it the second we get off the ship. You go find someone willing to do a shotgun wedding, I'll get the rings. Hey Demo! You're the best man!" "'Bout time!" His friend shouts. "Wonderland you be the bridesmaid! I know how much you hate dresses but this is important." "Any other reason, and I'd strangle you for even suggesting it." Alice says, happy about the good news. "Max, quit joking, I'm serious." Pinnam says, fighting a giggle. "I'm being serious too. Now, where can we get you a wedding dress? I know I have a monkey suit laying around somewhere." Before she could respond, Alice shouts from the pilot's seat. "Shit! One of the ships from the last mission tailed us! Son of a bitch, this ship isn't meant for dog fights!" "Who are they?! Alliance? Fleet?" Daemon asks, trying to find something to hold on tight to. Pinnam shouts "Batarian Slavers! We were hired to grab a slave and get him out! Didn't think they would follow!" A blast rocks the ship. Daemon is thrown back and slams into the wall behind him, snapping his neck as well as peppering him with shrapnel. He slumps to the ship floor, dead. "Holy shit, Dae-" Alice shouts, but another volley hits the ship. The piloting screen explodes, covering her in metal and glass, a large piece impaled in her throat. She struggles for a moment before succumbing to her wounds. She soaks the pilot seat with blood, dead. Max and Pinnam rush for the escape pod. Another blast knocks the two loose from their footing. Max hits his head, knocking him unconscious. Pinnam grabs him by the shoulders and drags him to the pod. A wall explodes, sending metal flying in their direction. She closes the pod door and launches it as the ship finally gives way and falls in on itself. She lays max down on the ground. She looks down to her stomach as she bled a copious amount. Max awakens to find her barely clinging to life. An Alliance ship picks up a distress beacon and proceed to locate it. They find an escape pod. Inside is a one eyed human wearing Blue Sons armor. In his arms was a female turian, blood pooled around them both. She lays in his grasp, sapphire blue eyes staring blankly, dead. UnexpectedMax lays in his bed, his Omni-tool powered on and playing an archived recording. "...I'll see you later, I love you." it repeatedly said. The man lets loose a sigh as he finally sits up. He walks to the door to the hall. The sun is just beginning to rise over the horizon. "...I'll see you later, I love you." He walks down the empty halls, searching. He turns a corner and sees a pair of guards walking in his direction. The same two from before. 'What were their names?' he thinks to himself. The grey one says something, but he doesn't hear it. "...I'll see you later, I love you." The pegasus and unicorn's heads turn towards his arm and look at the Omni-tool. The blue one speaks now. Still, he hears no voice. His mind doesn't care for anything except for that one voice. "...I'll see you later, I love you." He walks past the two ponies, towards a glass door leading to the garden. The two follow him, worried. "...I'll see you later, I love you." "What's going on Max?" Flashpoint asks as they approach a pond, their friend silent save for his breathing and the constant repeating of the odd phrase. The human stops at the pond and sits down, his Omni-tool still lit up and playing his favorite, and only, message. 'There we are...' Max thinks to himself. "Hey Max! You okay?" Strongwing shouts, uncertain of the importance of the event or the message. "Can you hear me?" he says as he waves his hoof in front of his face. 'Hoof. Wait, hoof?' He finally snaps out of it, blinking and looking around. He opened and closed his mouth several times before settling on keeping it shut. "...I'll see you later, I love you." He turns his head to face his still active Omni-tool. Pressing a few buttons, it shuts off, disappearing from his arm. "There we go. Now, what were you doing?" "I, uh, I was looking for one of these." He points to the pond weakly. "Pinnam and I would have a picnic by one whenever we weren't on job." He turns toward the door he entered as Sharpfeather walks past. She notices the group and decides to join them. "Hey guys, what's going on?" She asks, unaware of the situation. Soon after she asks she sees the tired and depressed look plastered on the human's face. "Whoa, are you okay?" Max allows a grin as he answers. "It's that bad, huh? I was just telling these two about my old girlfriend, Pinnam. She was a turian, like Samdon." "'old'? What happened?" Flashpoint asks. "Did you two split up or something?" Max shook his head, his smile wavering for a moment. "No, no, it's not that. She, uh, she passed away, along with another two friends. On the day we were supposed to get married." The eyes of all three ponies widened. Finally, after a long moment of shocked and depressed silence, Strongwing speaks up. "Max, I--" Before he could finish speaking, another guard walks through the glass door. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the princesses wish to speak with you and the other two." Max stands up and dusts himself off. "Alright, I'll go talk with them right now. Oh, and thanks for getting me out of that awkward situation." Ignoring the stallion's confused face, he continues. "Where're the princesses at?" "They are waiting in the Throne room." And with that, the guard left. Max starts walking towards the door when Sharpfeather speaks. "Hey, Max, if you ever need to talk, please, we're here to talk to you." She says, a caring tone scaling every word. The man turns and gives the trio a warm smile. "Thanks, I'll remember that." Later, Throne room The three mercs enter the large room, curious as to what the princesses wish to talk about. "Ah, you've arrived, now we can speak of the most recent event." Princess Celestia says, keeping her neutral expression, but an ounce of sorrow escapes through her tone. An ounce that Aldiv catches. "I suspect something terrible has happened?" the salarian asks. All present turn to him, surprised by his estimation. After a moment, Celestia regains her composure. "Yes, another ship from your world has crashed. This time it landed in griffin territory. When they investigated, they discovered two corpses. One of a blue being, similar to build as you, Max, and a large creature that walked on four legs. We were hoping you could help us determine a way of putting them to rest." "Sounds like an asari and an elcor. Best thing to do is to bury them, find coffins that would fit them, have a ceremony, you know, the standard thing." Samdon says. "It would've been nice to have some more company, but it looks like we'll have to wait for that." Luna clears her throat to get the three's attention. "Max, may I speak with you, privately?" The night princess says. "Sure." He says as the two walk towards the hall as the others keep speaking. "So, what's up Night light?" "Another one of your nicknames, I presume? Anyway, I wish to apologize for being so rude to you when you first arrived. I've just been extremely paranoid, what with the recent invasion and--" "Wait, invasion? What invasion? If there's someone threatening your land, I'd need to know." Max says, his temper slightly rising. "Relax, the changelings have been pushed back, and thanks to recent negotiations, we've reached an understanding. As I was saying, I'm really sorry for everything that I've done. Will you forgive me?" "It's alright. So, would you consider me a friend now?" He asks. A smile crosses Luna's face. "Yes, I would. Now then, let's join the others to continue discuss recent happenings." Meanwhile, Ponyville "Oh, come on Twilight! It's been a few days since we've seen those aliens, you've gotta be a little curious." Rainbow Dash says, hovering midair of the library. "Of course I'm curious, but I'm not just going to drop everything to go to Canterlot." The purple unicorn says, busy organizing a pile of books. "Fine then, if you're not going, I'll just go myself!" The cyan mare says before flying out a nearby window, eager to meet the strange beings from events prior. Author's Note It's here! Finally, all two of you can enjoy this crap pile's continuation! Enjoy this as I reconsider my entire existence as a human being! *sobs uncontrollably* The most dumb dummy that ever dumbed."What do you mean I can't go in?!" The rainbow maned pegasus shouts. "I'm the Element of Loyalty! I've helped save Equestria multiple times!" The guard, expressionlessly, replies. "Yes, but the visitors are not from Equestria. Also, you didn't warn us of your visit beforehand. Now then, please leave." Before she could retort, however, another guard interrupts. This one, she recognizes, though. "Wait, you're Rainbow Dash, right? My cousin's told me about you, about how you saved her life, along with a couple of her friends." Strongwing says. "Lieutenant, please allow miss Dash to pass." Begrudgingly, the guard obliged. "Now then, what can I do for you?" "I wanted to see the visitors! We didn't really get to talk on the carriage and I thought it would be awesome to chat with actual space aliens!" "Well, I think Max, the one with the metal eye, is in the garden. The other two tend to keep to themselves." And with that, they began towards the royal garden. As they traversed the halls, something the stallion said earlier stuck out in her head. "By the way, you mentioned your cousin, right? Who is she exactly?" She asks, curious as to who may have mentioned her, by name no less. "Oh, well, I really don't like to mention it. She doesn't exactly care if I tell ponies, but they tend to not believe me." He says, a bit fidgety now the subject has been brought up. "Is she famous? I don't think I've saved any celebrities specifically. Anyway, just tell me, come on!" She says. "Okay, but don't tell anyone, the only other pony that knows is Flashpoint. She is Sp...." He says, mumbling the name. "What?" "She's Spitfire." He finally says. "No way! THE Spitfire! I can't believe this! That is so cool!" She shouts. "Quiet! Flashpoint won't stop bugging me about it, and he's just one pony. What do you think will happen if everyone knows? I don't think I could deal with that. So please, don't tell anyone." "You've got it! So, how much further is the garden, anyway?" She asks They turn down a hall to see a small glass door. "It's right there." As they approached, Lucky turns a corner and sees the pair. "Ah, hey Lucky. Oh! Have you seen Samdon or Aldiv?" The synthetic takes a second to think before responding. "I BELIEVE THEY ARE RUNNING TESTS ON THE TWO SHIPS." "Two? I thought only one came down." Rainbow Dash says, catching the attention of Lucky. "YOU ARE NOT A GUARD. YOU DO NOT APPEAR TO BE A POLTICIAN EITHER. REASONS FOR YOU TO BE GRANTED PERMISSION TO SEE VISITORS, INCLUDING MYSELF, ARE LIMITED. OBVIOUSLY A PERSON OF IMPORTANCE. WHAT IMPORTANCE MAY THAT BE?" "She is one of the six Elements of Harmony, a powerful magic that has saved our land, and the world, on multiple occasions." Strongwing says. "Who's this?" Rainbow Dash asks. "I AM GETH NUMBER 7777. YOU MAY CALL ME LUCKY. I JUST RECENTLY CAME HERE WITH ANOTHER, 3040. IF I MAY ASK, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR VISIT?" "She came to see Max. How's he doing?" Strongwing says. "HE'S BEEN WATCHING THE POND AS WELL AS FEEDING ONE OF THE GARDEN ANIMALS. A PEACOCK, I BELIEVE." Strongwing gives the synthetic a confused look. "A peacock? I didn't realize we had one in the garden." Author's Note Hey look, a chapter! What's next, another chapter? That'd be ridiculous! P.S. I'm pretty sure no one read my blog, so I might as well say it here. The second I graduate, I'm joining the Marines. StoriesMax sits in the garden by the pond as he absent mindedly pets a peacock laying in his lap. As he watches the motionless water, a stallion guard, accompanied by a rainbow maned pegasus and a slender synthetic, approaches him. "Hey Strong, Lucky." He turns his attention to Rainbow Dash. "I've met you before haven't I? Yeah, on the carriage ride over here." "Yeah. The names Rainbow Dash, the best flyer in Ponyville AND The Element of Loyalty! I've come here to ask a few questions about you and where you came from. So, first things first, what's you home world called?" "Well, that's complicated. I was born on Ilium, but my specie's origin is Earth. Oh, and my race is called 'human', just for future preference." He says as he continues petting the bird. "Alright, cool. How about that thing on your head, is it some fashion thing?" She continues, excited to speak with an alien species. "I lost my eye a long time ago, before I was a merc. This toy here lets me see out of that side again. Can't say I don't miss it, though." "Oh, sorry to here about that. What happened?" A sullen look crosses his face as he recalls the incident. "A bunch of guys called the 'Blood Pack' charged the dock I worked at, killed everyone there. The guy leading them tried to shoot me in the head. You can probably guess what the rest looked like." "Jeez, those guys sound like jerks. What did you do?" "Passed out. Took a couple weeks off. When I went back to work, I couldn't focus on anything. The place was too familiar. I eventually got fired. I don't blame them." "How did you start doing mercenary work?" She asks. "Well, before I got shot, I took out a lot of the guys hunting us down. Didn't have a gun, so I used my Biotics. Apparently, that impressed the right people. Said they saw my potential to do great things. I was out of a job, so I really didn't have much choice. Any other questions, and please, try a lighter subject." "Okay, how about, uh, this guy?" She says, turning to look at Lucky. "Oh, him? He's a geth, a race of synthetics created by the quarians. They were originally just a labor force with little to no minds at all. But, they kept upgrading them so they could perform more complex tasks, which eventually led to their sentience. They started questioning their existence, why they were there, and why they should be owned by their makers. Of course, some of the quarians thought that this was a wonderful thing, they had created a new species, and wanted to be their friends. The rest, however, saw them as a threat, foresaw their uprising, and prepared for what they thought was the inevitable." "So, what happened. Did the geth rebel?" She asks, curiosity filling her mind. "No, the Creators attacked first. We simply defended ourselves. Some geth wished to just push them back, keep safe. The majority, however, saw them as the ultimate threat to our existence, including all other organics. The Creators and geth that wanted nothing but peace were eventually lost in the fighting, confused for warriors instead of bystanders. My consciousness was not created yet, so I do not know of everything that happened." Lucky says, a somber tone tinting his metallic voice. "Exactly. Now, this happened three hundred years ago, but the quarians were chased of the planet, forced to live on ships for far too long. It virtually destroyed their immune systems. They need to wear special suits to keep the safe." "This does not keep them from being effective combatants. If the suit is punctured, it immediately repairs itself, as well as injecting antibiotics to prevent any infection." Lucky continues. "Wait, wait, wait. So your species is only three hundred years old?" Strongwing asks, deciding to finally join the conversation. "Yes, but our population is easily maintained. Whenever a significant drop in our numbers occurs, we increase our production. If it is too much, we slow it down. Being machines has its advantages." "Alright, how about these 'Biotics'? What's that?" "I've explained this about three times now, so listen closely, because it's getting annoying. I, like many others, was exposed to element zero radiation while I was in the womb. It gave me these abilities." Max says as he raises a piece of bread he had with him in the air, which the peacock in his lap promptly plucks out of the air. "Hungry little guy, aren't you? Anyway, we aren't able to focus it without a special chip, which needs to be surgically implanted in our brains. it's called wetware. It helps us use our powers. They work sort of like muscles. The more you use it and practice, the more powerful it gets." "Sort of like our wings, right?" Strongwing asks, now fully invested. "Well, I have no idea what it feels like to have wings, but probably, yeah." Meanwhile Dark Space "AN ANOMALLY HAS BEEN DETECTED IN RELAY #977652. IF THIS BECOMES A MAJOR ISSUE, THEY MAY NOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES. URBANUM, INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATLEY." "I WILL DO AS YOU SAY, BUT I WILL PROCEED AS I WISH."
I've had worse ideas...As the small ship approached it's destination, the passengers inside spoke to one another. "So, why'd you decide to become a merc, Sammy?" asked the only human aboard as he adjusted his synthetic eye. "My names Samdon, and if you must know, after the Citadel was attacked, I was left jobless, so I really had no choice. How about you Max?" inquired the turian. "Used to be a dock worker on Illium, used my biotics to move the heavy stuff. Then one day a bunch of Blood Pack just flood in the room, tearing stuff apart. Apparently, one of the crates was filled with red sand. Once they found what they were looking for, they started gunning down all witnesses. I decided to fight back. First, I made a little fort for the others so they wouldn't get hurt. Then, I just started throwing box after box at those damned vorcha." He pauses for a second, realizing he forgot an important detail. "Did I forget to mention there was only one krogan? Anyway, I've managed to kill about all the vorcha when the krogan rushes me and just punched me in the gut. I dropped to my knees, and he points his gun at my head." He pauses, remembering his faithful encounter, rubbing his stomach roughly around where he was assaulted. "Just as he's about to fire, I try to toss the gun out of his hand with my biotics, but I wasn't fast enough, and the bullet goes through my right eye at an angle, just barely missing my brain. It hurt like a bitch and I passed out. Thankfully, he thought I was dead." He said as he idly used his biotics to raise his pistol to his hand. "When I came to, I was the only survivor. The cops were there by then, and when I sat up, eye hanging out of my head, they all nearly fainted, and one asari even threw up. If I wasn't in so much pain I would've laughed my ass off." He said, chuckling to himself. "Five weeks, two surgeries, and one pink slip later, Some guy comes by my place in the middle of the night. He was apparently some kind of rep for the Blue Suns. After just a weak of just working with them, I could afford my new toy." He taps his eyepiece, grin on his face. "Interesting, Blood Pack normally don't care for petty drug trade. Then again, these are troubling times, what with dead spectres hunting after a race of aliens most didn't realize existed. As for me, I used to be shop owner on Omega until some biotic batarian decided to go on a rampage, smashing everything in her path. I decided to just quit the biz and started freelancing, only got about seven years left anyway." said Aldiv, a salarian. A silence fell over the three just before an impact rocked the ship. "The hell was that?!" shouted Max, his favorite pistol knocked loose of his grip. "Hold on! We've got a Geth ship on us!" Samdon replied, readying his helmet incase he got spaced. "Geth? Odd, they should've ignored us, we're just a small ship." Said Aldiv, eerily calm during this moment of crisis. "Wait, I've got an idea! I'm going to override the autopilot and steer us towards that mass relay!" Max said, sitting in the pilots seat, pressing the buttons as fast as his fingers allowed him to. "What?! You're gonna get us killed!" Samdon shouted. "It's either this or we face the Geth head on, your choice!" Max said with a grin. As the small ship approached the mass relay, the Geth cruiser fired once again, this time missing and hitting the relay, causing considerable damage. The normally blue energy it emitted turned to a sickly pale as it tossed the small ship up instead of forward.
What now?Two royal guards stood in front of Canterlot Castle, a blue pegasus with a golden shield for a cutie mark, and a grey unicorn with two crossed swords for a cutie mark."Hey Strongwing, do you see that in the sky?" asked the grey unicorn. "I swear to Celestia, Flashpoint, if this is another bird I'll-" He interrupted himself as his eyes spotted what looked to be a shooting star over Ponyville. Now, shooting stars are a normal occurrence, except they mostly occurred at night. "What the hoof is that?" Strongwing inquires, squinting in order to get a better view of the mysterious object. "I dunno, we better report this." Replied Flashpoint. They enter the large, ornate doors of the castle. As they traveled the halls of the castle, Strongwing decided to pick up a previous topic of discussion. "So, you still want me to ask him about it? I mean, you could just do it yourself." asked Strongwing. "What!? No, I can't! I'm to shy! What if he doesn't like me? Or what if I mess up and say something stupid? I don't think I can handle this." Flashpoint was visibly worried as his breathing escalated and his voice slightly rose in pitch. "I'm sorry man, but you need to do this for me." "It's alright, I'll do it, just relax." His pegasus friend replied as they reached the entrance to the throne room. "I hate these damn doors, they're so heavy." Once inside, the two guards found it devoid of the sun goddess and her guards. The only ponies that were present were a simple servant and Princess Luna. As they approached her, she heard their hoof steps and turned around to greet them. "Your highness," they both stopped to bow, then quickly returned to standing. "We are here to report something to Princess Celestia, do you know where we may find her?" Flashpoint asked. "My sister has left for Ponyville, something about an object in the sky." The night princess replied. "What is it you need to report, anyway?" Strongwing released a chuckle to himself. "That same thing in sky, actually, sorry for bothering you. Oh, and hi Starlit." The servant spoke with a bored expression to his tone. "Greetings Strongwing, Flashpoint." Starlit was an earth pony who rarely showed emotion. He is frequently seen in the gardens, wandering the maze. Rumors speculate he lost an item of importance in it once, and scours it, trying to locate it. "Well, I apologize for the uninvited appearance, we should return to our post." Flashpoint said, turning with Strongwing to exit the room. Before they could leave however, Luna called out to them. "Wait, I was thinking of visiting Ponyville myself. As you know, that means I would require at least two guards with me. Would you two like to be my guards during my visit?" Luna asked, a pleading smile across her face. The two guards released a sigh in unison. "We would be honored to."
Waking up.Inside of the crashed vessel, the three hired guns slowly came to their senses. Max pulled himself off the floor as Samdon pulled himself upright, all the while, Aldiv managed to remain in his seat with a bored expression on his face. "You're awake, good. Now we may figure out where we are." The Salarian said as he idly fiddled with his Omni-tool. "You were out for two hours, thirty six minutes, and eleven seconds. Odd how you two woke up at the same time. Doesn't matter. Glad you're okay." "Not so loud, Al, I feel like I had an all-nighter on Omega. Hey, Sammy, you alright?" Max asked as he scoured the cockpit for his pistol. Samdon stood up as he placed both hands on his back. As he pushed, several loud pops ringed out. "Remind me to never let you drive anything over two hundred pounds ever again. Where the hell did we crash, anyway?" He approached the pilot's seat, turning his head experimentally. "Why are the crash shields still up? Shouldn't they lower after the crash?" Aldiv saw this as the moment to pipe up. "The crash was a bit more rough than you think. The shields are melted shut from the intense heat. I haven't checked the hatch yet, but it may be safe to open, if it isn't also sealed." He said this as he walked over to a panel on the wall. "Hmm..." As he tapped away at the pad, Max releases a shout of joy. "Yes! Found my Sheila." He rubbed it a few times with a cloth then returned it to his holster. "Hey Al, That door okay?" Aldiv looked to the human with a smile. "Yes, but I think there may be an alien life form on the other side. I hear talking." His light tone changed to a stern, near fatherly, voice. "Please, do not attack unless provoked, I wish to see these creatures." "You sure these are things we haven't met before? I mean, we could be on earth for all we know." Max said, curious as to what could be truly on the other side of the hatch. "I checked our location on my Omni-tool. It says were still next to the Mass Relay. It only does this if we're somewhere the data signals can't reach us. I'm positive this is an alien world." Aldiv said in a matter of fact tone. "Alright then, let's open this bad boy." Samdon said, standing in front of the hatch. "On three." Max says, holding up three fingers. The three stood in front of the hatch, prepared for anything. One. Two....
Three!Three. A crowd of ponies surround the mysterious metal object that had fallen from the sky. Celestia, Luna, the Element holders, and two guards head the crowd. Small whispers dance across the wind as they await the ruling of such an event. Without warning, a loud hissing noise accompanies large gouts of steam being jettisoned from one side of the metal space rock. Mere moments later, a section of the object moves inward, then to the side, revealing three bipedal figures. The one in the center of the three turns it's head, observing the gathering. Finally, after a long gap of silence, it speaks. "Hey Al, it looks like I owe you some cred's." Ten ponies and three aliens ride in a carriage which has befallen the curse known as awkward silence. Said carriage approaches the train station. After much haunting by this horrid curse, a curious, one-eyed human finally breaks it's evil hold. "So, we in trouble?" said Max, little fear nor anger present in his tone. "I mean, we sort of did just traumatize an entire village. Oh, and are you horses or ponies?" Samdon decides this to be an opportune time to vocalize himself. "The hell are ponies?" He asks, also not very worried with the current situation. Finally, Aldiv intervenes with his everlasting knowledge of trivial content. "Small equines native to earth. Am I correct Max?" Celestia, dumbfounded by their calm demeanor on such an over the top event such as being stranded on an alien world, finds her voice and speaks. "W- we are ponies. I apologize for asking, but why are you so unnerved with everything that has occurred?" Max, taking a moment to realize he is being spoken to, responds. "Huh? Oh yeah, sorry, we come from a place where the outrageous and messed up is common place. In fact, that's how I make a living. Now may we please know if we're being taken to either a meeting or a guillotine? Because if it's the first, that would be nice, although the second one does sound more fun." Twilight Sparkle's curiosity finally got the best of her as she blurted out "WHATSPECIESAREYOUWHATISTHATGIANTMETALROCKWHYDOYOUONLYHAVEONEEYEHOWCOMEYOUALLLOOKSODIFFERENT?!" At which she covers her mouth with a hoof, attempting to avoid a blush. "Sorry." "It's fine. In fact a curious mind searching for answers is a good thing." Aldiv says, a tone of pride in his statement. "Now, can we please be told if we are guests or prisoners?" "Guests, for now." Luna says, skeptic of the being's motives. "Good." Max says. "I'm ordering room service." Author's Note What's that, reader? This is bad and I should feel bad? Haha, maybe so, but, I write not for you, but for me. To see what I can accomplish. Please leave criticism, but don't be a dick and just say "This is horrible, go die." I will not acknowledge it, except by replying with a very long worded statement that equates to "I don't care, lick it."
Yes! Wait, No! I Mean Maybe!"Wait, you mean I get all this?!" Max shouts, his arms spread to indicate his current living quarters, a large room with a very soft bed in the middle. "Y-yes, i-is something w-w-wrong, sir?" asked the maid, fear shaking every bone in her body. She nervously stepped towards the door, case her guest get 'upset'. "Wrong? No, this is awesome! Hell, the best apartment on the Citadel looks like an Omega motel compared to this! Oh, and don't call me sir, Max is fine." He replied, still eyeing his current housing. The maid visibly calmed as she heard this. "Well then sir-, er, Max, do you need anything else?" she says, a legitimate smile across her face. "Yeah, how 'bout your name? Can't be friends until we're at least on a first-name basis." he says, turning to face the mare. "Err, it's Sharpfeather, but why would you want to be friends with a maid?" she asks, completely baffled by this aliens behavior. "I may be stuck here for a while, so I see myself going two ways. I could become a social outcast, only leaving my quarters when needed, or I can actually have a life, meet people, see new things, and, possibly, nearly get myself killed on a daily basis." Sharpfeather, now thoroughly confused, tried, and failed, to muster a thought. Before she could utter her incomplete thought, Max once again spoke up. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Sharpy. Sadly, it's getting late. Well, good night." He says, heading towards his bed, then promptly falling face first on it and emitting a series of loud snores in mere moments. Sharpfeather exits the room and shuts the door silently before a thought suddenly strikes her. "Sharpy?" Meanwhile, Aldiv's quarters. 'reasons for Geth attack? Entered newly acquired territory? Possible. Passengers had past dealings with Geth? No, checked records before mission. Wait, What if... Yes, of course. Highest possibility for occurrence. New technology being tested, we were test subject. Human phrase, lab rat. Far from any com buoy, little resistance, easy target. Never seen Geth ship use such weapons. Possibly why it affected Mass Relay. Tell others? Later. Not important now. Little hungry. Wonder what foods ponies make. Could go out now or wait until morning. Wait. Don't want to be rude, plus, have no clue where kitchen. How does a pony pick up utensils? Need data. Will figure out later, need rest.' Meanwhile, Samdon's quarters. "Shit, I'm tired." He then lays flat on his bed, then falls asleep. Author's Note Hey, guess what? I have the next two chapter titles in mind, but after that, I need help! Leave your suggestion in the comments!
My tuxedo is a straight jacket...[DATA TRANSFER PLATFORM 149 TO PLATFORM 2058: ERROR, TEST UNIT HAS USED DAMAGED RELAY. UNKNOWN LOCATION. PERFORM JUMP USING SMALLER SHIP AND SECONDARY UNITS.] [DATA TRANSFER PLATFORM 2058 TO PLATFORM 2000: THIS PLATFORM WILL COMMAND SECONDARY UNIT. PLATFORM 2000 SHALL ACT AS REPLACEMENT UNTIL RETURN.] [DATA TRANSFER PLATFORM 2058 TO ALL: SECONDARY UNIT SHALL CONSIST OF PLATFORMS 1902, 3040, 7777, AND 5589. ALL LISTED PLATFORMS PROCEED TO LANDING VESSEL.] Meanwhile, Canterlot castle As the sun rises, it rays pierce the lids of Max. He slowly stirs from his sleep, eventually untangling himself from his sheets. A knock on the door catches his attention. "It's open." He says, curious of who it may be. The door opens to reveal the same pale blue pegasus maid from the night prior. "Oh, good morning, Sharpy." She smiled to him and replied. "Good morning Max. Say, I've been needing to ask you something. Why are you calling me 'Sharpy'?" She asked. "Sorry, I've got a habit of giving people nicknames." He says, heading towards the door to leave. "Oh, don't be sorry, it's okay. I was just curious was all." She says as she follows him down the hall. "Um, where are you going?" "Trying to find the kitchen, I'm starving." He says as he turns down a corner. "Then you're going the wrong way. Besides, I came to your room to get you for breakfast, everybody's waiting for you." She says with a giggle. As they finally enter the dining hall, they were greeted by a myriad of colored ponies ranging from unicorn to pegasi to earth ponies. At the head of the table sat Celestia, Luna sitting to her side, staring intently at the two aliens already seated, and didn't change this when Max found his seat in between Samdon and a rather large, pale orange stallion. "I see you finally decided to join us, visitor." Luna said, a slight tone of anger present. "Excuse me your highness," Samdon said. "But I get the feeling you don't like us." At this she glared daggers at, to which he merely rolled his eyed. Celestia, seeing the rising tension began to speak, but was interrupted as an unexpected diamond dog burst through the doors. "Sun princess! We need help!" Said a tall, red husky wearing a black vest. Before he could advance further, he was stopped short by the three mercs, all of which had their weapons trained on him, as well as max readying to toss him out a window with his biotics. Max spoke. "What are your intentions here, trespasser?" The hound's ears splayed back against his head as he soon figured out that the objects pointed at him were intended to hurt him, or worse. "Indeed, what do the diamond dogs need from us?" Celestia asks, her voice hiding her rising fear of an incident. She noticed that an aura of dark blue was beginning to form around Max. "A-a rock has fallen from sky! Many tunnels have collapsed! Pack still down there! They are trapped!" He stammers out, both fear and worry shaking his voice. "Wait, they're stuck down there?" Max asked, lowering his pistol and his biotic aura dissipating as he calmed. "Shit, we need to help them! Celestia, would it be okay if we take two guards with us, preferably the two from yesterday?" Luna, seeing this as too convenient, decided to intervene. "He said something fell from the sky. Did you send for it to attack? And why did you start glowing? Why take the guards from yesterday? Do you plan on taking ou-" Before she could finish her interrogation, Strongwing and Flashpoint had arrived and started leaving with the three aliens and the diamond dog. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Come bac-" Once again she was interrupted, this time by her sister. "Luna! If they planned to attack, they would have done it already. Besides, They want those two because they're familiar with them." "Familiar? They never spoke a word to one another! All they did was sit in the same carriage!" "Which is more than any of the other guards can say. Luna, you need to trust them. They do not pose a threat. I don't know how they got here, but they seem to be willing to help with anything, like we just saw. Just relax." "Relax, right. I'm sorry, it's just, even before Nightmare Moon, I never really trusted anyone besides you or mom and dad. I mean, I trust the elements, but they saved me." "Yes, but what if these visitors saved you one day? Would you trust them, or still see them as a threat?" "I don't know, I'll try to be more trusting, I'm sorry." Author's Note Hey, me again. If you got an idea of something I could do, tell me in the comments.
...And my tie is a noose"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." -Martin Luther King Jr. As the group approached the site of impact, the three aliens all stopped in shock. "Oh, please don't tell me that's what I think it is." Max said, getting his pistol ready. "What? What is it?" Asked Strongwing, worried of what might frighten the trio of towering men, all armed and ready for anything. "Geth ship. They're the ones who attacked us and stranded us here. Probably sent after us to make sure they finish the job." Aldiv answers, shotgun aimed at the ship. "'Finish the job'? Does that mean what I think it means?" Flashpoint asks, sweat starting to bead on his forehead. "Wait, I'm confused. Who are they? What are 'Geth'?" Asks the husky. "They're a synthetic race, created by the Quarians two hundred years ago. By the way, we never caught your name." Says Samdon, training his assault rifle on the ship's hatch. "It's Sigmund, I'm just a digger. My brother Kam's a guard." Says Sigmund, adjusting his vest. "I'm sorry, but can we get started trying to get them out?" Before any of them could respond, the side of the ship opened up to reveal two Geth troops. Neither held a weapon, but the mercs didn't leave anything to risk and took aim. "I-I guess those are the Geth you spoke of." Said Sigmund, fear taking it's grip on his mind. The two synthetics began approaching the group at a slow pace. One appeared to be badly damaged, a large chunk missing from it's left arm. "THIS PLATFORM IS 7777. THE PLATFORM NEXT TO ME IS 3040. WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO SALVAGE ENOUGH OF THE COMMUNICATIONS TO CREATE A MEANS TO ALLOW ONE PLATFORM TO SPEAK WITH YOU. I VOLUNTEERED." Said the more badly damaged Geth. "Why do you want to speak with us? You tried to kill us just yesterday!" Shouted Samdon, aiming at it's vision apparatus. "WE INTENDED TO TEST OUR WEAPONS. WE DID NOT FORSEE THE RELAY REACTING AS IT DID. WE WERE SENT HERE TO EXAMINE THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR SHIP. AN ERROR OCCURED IN THE CRASH. THIS PLATFORM AND 3040 WERE FORCED TO RESTART. ALL BUT ONE GETH INSTANCE WAS ERASED IN EACH OF US. WE DO NOT NEED TO FORM A CONCENSUS TO PERFORM. WE ARE NOW INDIVIDUALS. WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU AS WRONG. WE WISH TO HELP. THE REST... DO NOT AGREE." Said 7777, now turning to face the ship. "THEY ARE CURRENTLY TRAPPED INSIDE. I DISMANTLED THE DOOR CONTROL. THEY WILL NOT BOTHER US FOR AN ESTIMATED TIME OF 70 MINUTES." "Well, looks like we're making new friends everyday." Said Max, putting his pistol away. "The names Max. That's Samdon, Aldiv, Strongwing, Flashpoint, and Sigmund. It seems you two are the newest members of this rescue party. You see, that ship of yours caused a series of underground catacombs to collapse, trapping his friends and family down there." He says, pointing to Sigmund, who in return gave a weak grin and wave. "Hold up, you can't really believe them, can you?" Asked Samdon, skepticism evident in his voice. "I mean, they shot at us! They were responsible for the massacre on Eden Prime! They helped Saren in the Reaper invasion! They still work with the Collectors, who, if I need to remind you, are the Reaper's slaves!" "Yeah, but one of them is also on Shephard's crew. The same Shephard who is trying to stop the Reapers. If that one can change, why can't they?" Aldiv asks. "If I may, we need to get down there fast. The stone is too thick for them to claw through and they need air just like us!" Said Sigmund, now walking towards the entrance of the tunnel system. "He's right." Said Flashpoint, trotting after the husky. "We'll finish this conversation later." Samdon said, following the group. Sigmund used his claws to try and dig away the weaker parts, Flashpoint tried to lift the heaviest rock he could handle. The two free Geth tried moving any debris they could carry, 7777 having problems with his damaged arm. "Alright you four, quit goofin' around and move outta the way. I got this, or, at least most of it." Said Max, purchasing himself a trio of confused looks from the Equestrian natives. "Just move." His body began emitting a dark blue energy as he focused on the rubble blocking the entrance. As he strained, the majority of the debris began to glow with the same aura. Soon, Max lifted his hand and the rocks followed suit. The trapped dogs inside all stared in amazement as what they assumed to be unicorn magic was revealed to be coming from a strange bipedal. After a long moment of silence, a single dog, a Labrador with brown fur, stepped forward. "About time you bozos got us outta there. Come on everybody, let's get some fresh air." He motions with one paw for the rest to follow. 3040 and 7777 Stepped towards the group, allowing a few elders to use them for balance. As the dogs filed out, Sigmund rushed forward and hugged the brown Labrador. "Kam! Are you okay?" He says, tears freely running from his blue eyes. "I'm alright, bro. Good work getting help. Not only did you get ponies, you got a few foreigners as well." He replies, hugging him back. "Hey, thanks for getting us outta there. Gotta say, though, I've never seen magic users lift something that heavy, mighty impressive." "That's because," Max says, "I didn't use magic. It's called Biotics, I'll explain later, catch your breath." "Huh, you learn somethin' new everyday." Said Kam, heading off to join the rest of the diamond dogs. "Thanks again." Said Sigmund. following his brother. "SHALL WE CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION NOW?" Asked 7777 as he and 3040 returned, his head slightly tilted to the side. Max couldn't hold in a chuckle. "Of course. Hey Sammy, what do you think we should nickname them?" He says, a grin on his face. "I admit, I was a bit quick to judge, I'm sorry." Samdon says. "And I believe 7777 should just be called lucky. You know, like the old human belief that four sevens is luck." He said. "It's actually three sevens, but I catch your drift. Now, what about 3040?" Max says, looking at the mute synthetic. Before a decision could be made, a banging began emanating from the crashed Geth ship. "Crap, forgot about them. Hey Flash, you got a way to put a shield around that ship?" "Yeah, but I doubt I could lift it." He said, readying his spell. "Don't worry, you shield, I carry." Max says, picking up the ship with all his Biotic might. As lifted, the aura surrounding him became thicker. A whistle is heard from the group of rescued diamond dogs. It was Kam, watching in awe. "Man, that Biotics stuff is pretty cool. Gotta see if I could get me that." He says, a grin across his muzzle. "Unfortunately, you need to be born with it, and after that, you need surgery to have an implant put in your head that actually lets you use it. Even then, most can't lift anything over two hundred pounds. It's sort of like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets." Max says, walking next to Flashpoint towards the castle. "Nice meeting you, though." "Wait!" Shouts Sigmund, rushing after the group. "One of the elders wanted you to have this." He hands Aldiv a large brown pouch. "seriously, you guys are the greatest." He says before rushing back to the group. "What's in it?" Max asked. Aldiv opens it to reveal a large pile of brilliant blue gemstones. "Holy shit! Sapphires!" "Uh, what are sapphires?" Asked Samdon, taking hold of one of the stones. "A mineral. They used to be all over Earth, until we mined every single ounce. Man, these must be worth millions of creds each!" Max says, a large smile plastered on his face. "They're actually pretty common here. We mostly just use them for decoration. One pony even uses them and other gems in clothes. She's actually one of the ponies we rode with in the carriage yesterday." Says Strongwing. "Why was a fashion designer with us?" Asked Aldiv. "We'll explain later." Author's Note If someone could make cover art for this, I would be eternally grateful. Plus, if anyone noticed, I made a shit-ton of Gurren Lagann references, and don't worry, Sigmund and his bro are returning soon.
Wait, what? Part 1"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination." Albert Einstein As the group finally reached the castle, ship still in tow, the princesses waited outside to greet them. "Uh, what's that?" Luna asks, nervous of what this new large object being carried by a guard. Then she looked closer. "Wait, Flashpoint, are you carrying that?" When he responded with a strained shake of his head, she was thoroughly confused. "Then who is?" "That'd be me." Max says, half grin across his face, sweat forming on his brow. "Can we find somewhere to put this, I'm burning calories like an arsonist in a wood house." "That's not magic. How are you lifting it?" Celestia asks, surprised by this development. "It's called Biotics, you get it from being exposed to eezo radiation while in the womb. After that, you need to get something surgically put in your head. Then you need years of training. When all that's done, most are lucky to lift anything over two hundred pounds." Max says, straining to keep the large object afloat. "Now, I ask again, where can I put this thing down? It's got some pissed off synthetics inside and they keep shifting the weight." "Oh! Right, um, put it down here. I can teleport them to the castle's dungeon." Says Celestia, Readying a spell. "Before you do that," Samdon says, "We need to disarm them first. Hey Lucky, how many guns they got?" Lucky spoke up, moving with 3040 into the two princesses' view. "WE BROUGHT TWO RIFLES. WE ASSUMED THREAT TO BE MINIMAL. ALSO, GREETINGS, I AM PLATFORM 7777, YOU MAY CALL ME LUCKY. THIS IS 3040, WE HAVE YET TO COME UP WITH A NAME FOR HIM. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, THEY WOULD BE APPRECIATED." He said, gesturing toward 3040, who responded with a bow. "Uh, Max, Who are these two?" Luna asked, more curious than nervous. "Oh, they're Geth. They were part of the original crew of these guys." He said, pointing to the ship. "You see, Geth use a single body, or platform, to carry at least a hundred of their programs, or minds, and they all need to form a consensus to do anything. These two got hurt in the crash, and all but one instance was erased per. So yeah, they're individuals now." "Wait, they were part of the group who wanted you dead? Why trust them?" Asked Luna, now concerned of the safety of the people of Canterlot. "Eh, forgive and forget. Besides, they helped us with the whole cave in situation." Said Samdon, aiming his rifle at the ship. "It sounds like they're getting close to getting out. Max, Al, get over here." As they prepared for the oncoming firefight, the hatch finally slid open to reveal three tall, thin, synthetics, two wielding rifles. "THEY ARE TELLING ME AND 3040 TO HELP THEM. IF WE DON'T THEY CLAIM TO TERMINATE US. 3040 IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO SURRENDER." Lucky turns to face the princesses. "HE IS FAILING." "I have an idea, Strongwing, start flying around, distract them." Samdon said, whispering just loud enough for the group to hear. "When I say so, Max, you and Flashpoint rip the guns out of their hands. Got that?" When he received a confirmation, he turned his attention back to the Geth. Strongwing took off, flying in circles and performing maneuvers he was taught by his cousin. When all three offenders were watching, Samdon shouted. "Now!" The guns flew from the two Geth's hands. The third emitted a series of electronic noises, which were cut off when they were teleported to the castle dungeons by Luna. "Well, that was fun. Let's do it again sometime." Max said, letting loose a chuckle. "Alight seriously, Lucky and mute boy need rooms. You think you can manage that, Princesses Lulu?" When he received a confused look, he let out a sigh. "Sorry, habit. Anyway, they need places to stay. Hey, y'all seen Sharpfeather? I need to tell her what happened." "I see you've already made a friend. I believe she's inside, working on the dining hall." Celestia said, smiling. "Thank you, I'll be on my way, then." Meanwhile Quarry "Say, bro, why'd you join the guard? I mean, you hate taking orders." Sigmund asked, sitting on the floor with Kam. "I did it because I wanted to make sure that everyone was safe, including you, Sigmund." He said, a caring smile on his muzzle. "Why do you ask?" "You know those guys I brought with me? The tall ones? Apparently, they're a group of fighters. They just so happened to be there when I spoke with the Princesses." Says Sigmund "Wait, you spoke with the Princesses!? Jeez, I thought you just got the first guards you saw! Anyway, what were you saying?" "Well, uh, I was thinking of, I dunno, joining them. Or at least get training from them." He said, a hint of despair evident. "But, I also thought about how weak I am. How I was always the smallest, and that I nearly died from just being born." "What!? You're crazy! That just means you're tough! And I think it would be an awesome If you joined them!" Kam shouted. "Well, that's just it, they say they're gonna leave as soon as they can. What if I don't find them in time? Or if they accept, but I have to go with them?! I wouldn't be able to stand being away that long! I ca-" His rant was cut short by Kam's paw smacking across his face. "Don't act like that, man! Have at least a little self confidence! I mean, you just stormed the castle to get us help! Literally! I'm an idiot, but even I wouldn't do that!" He said, anger flowing in his veins. "I-I just did the first thing I thought of. It just felt like if I didn't do it, I'd never see you or anyone else again. I can't stand to lose anybody else." Sigmund replies, tears now freely falling from his eyes. "I know, but your parents wouldn't want you to be a coward. If it'll help, I'll go with you to find them. Say, what was that one guy's name? The one with the metal eye?" He asks. "Oh, I think it was Max, why?" "Well, it seems to me like he's the leader, and you'd need to ask him to join." "Oh, right." Sigmund says, letting loose a sigh. "Alright then, let's get to Canterlot!" Author's Note Y'all might notice that the chapters are getting a bit longer, that's just me settling in to the story. Also, I still need chapter title ideas.
Wait, what? Part 2"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late." William Shakespeare As the lone human wandered the corridors, he eventually came upon the doors to the dining hall. Before his hand could make contact with the door, he hears voices from the opposite side. "I heard he wears that thing on his head because it's some sign of wealth, you know, sort of like a fashion thing." Said a voice, decidedly feminine, Max didn't recognize. "What? I thought it was a war prize. He took it from something he killed." Said another, this one of a male. "You're both wrong. He told me himself that he got hurt and lost his eye. That thing lets him see again." This voice he Knew as Sharpfeather. At this point, he decided to simply stride in, causing all three to jump. Sharpfeather was the first to recover. "Jeez Max, give a little warning next time!" She says, a grin across her face. "Sorry, too busy picking up on some gossip." He replied, a grin of his own appearing. "Gossip? Oh, sorry, these two just wanted to know about you." She gestures to the Guard and other maid standing beside her, who were too busy cowering in fear to realize they were being spoken to. "Hey, don't be rude! Introduce yourselves!" When they didn't respond, or move, she got upset. "Oh, come on! He's nice! How come whenever we have other guests of different species you're fine?" "That's 'c-cause they're all from the same p-planet as us!" Stuttered the dark pink unicorn mare. "Seriously Amber Dust, he's nice! He even volunteered to rescue the diamond dogs from the cave in." Said Sharpfeather. "How did that go, anyway?" An even wider grin crossed his face. "I think the guard dude passed out." "What?" Sharpfeather says, turning to see that the stallion was, in fact, laying on the ground, unconscious. "For the love of... Max, I'm so sorry. Amber, would you please get sleeping moron to his room?" Amber nodded, turning and carrying the guard in her magic. "So, you wanted to talk?" "Oh, we got the dogs out of the cave-in. Also, we've got two more guests. Now, you know about those Geth that me and the others dead?" When she nodded, he continued, "Well, two of them are the guests." "WHAT?! You can't be serious! They wanted you dead! How cou-" She was interrupted by him raising his hand. "Easy! I already got this speech twice from Sammy and Luna! Look, they had a change of heart, er, programing, whatever. Either way, the one missing a chunk from his arm is Lucky, the other's 3040. Please at least pretend to be nice to them." "Well, okay, but they better not be rude." She said, still somewhat skeptical. "They're fine!" As he finished speaking 3040 walked in the door, exploring the castle. "Ah, there you are! 3040! Come over here and meet my friend." 3040 walked over and bowed at the waist. "Since when were you so dramatic?" Asked Max, to which 3040 simply shrugged. "Anyway, this is Sharpfeather, she's a maid here at the castle." "Nice to meet you." Said Sharpfeather, half forcing a smile. When 3040 remained silent, she got upset. "I thought you said they weren't rude." "Oh yeah, I forgot, he can't talk. Aldiv is thinkin' of salvaging some parts from our ship to fix that. Until then, we'll just need to guess what he wants to say." Max said. "Huh, well then, I'm sorry for calling you rude." She says, a sheepish grin crossing her face. Meanwhile Damaged relay "Curious; I wish to see what's on the other side of this relay." Says an elcor researcher to an asari scientist. "Well, we could only find out one way." Says the asari, eyeing her ship through a nearby window. "Shocked; You would do that? That would be against regulation." "Only if we get caught!"
The sad part...Maximilian Connor is a mercenary. A trained killer, his best friend is his gun. He enjoys the thrill of gunfire pointed in his direction. With his rough exterior and odd mannerisms, one would assume him to have little to nothing in the way of social experience. But, he once had a love. Her name was Pinnam. She was a turian, who, by a sheer stroke of luck, was also in the Blue Suns like Max. Max wandered Omega with a couple other Blue Suns, bored out of his skull. No jobs had come up and their ship was in for repairs for the next week, essentially leaving them stranded. One of the others called for another ship to pick them up, but it was running late. Two days late. Daemon, the one who made the call, had finally had it. "That's it! I'm buying a new ship and getting the hell out of here!" He shouts. "Cool it, Demo, They'll be here soon." Says Max, eyeing a nearby kiosk with a rather interesting looking helmet in stock. Then Daemon's Omni-tool lit up. "Hey Daemon, It's Alice," said a female voice over the Omni-tool. "I'm sorry it took me so long, had to pick up a friend." She says as Max's Omni-tool lights up as well. "Well, well, what's a handsome human like you doing in a hole like this?" says another female voice. "Holy shit, Pinnam! I thought you were still on a job! What are you doing out here?" Max asks, excitement staining his tone. "Finished up early and my friend here let me hitch a ride. Speaking of getting hitched..." "Hey, we've talked about this already! We retire, then we can do whatever you want." Max says, a light blush forming on his cheeks. "The odd couple can continue this on the ship, I want to get out of here." Daemon says, pushing Max towards the docks. As the ship left dock and started it's journey to Illium, Max and Pinnam talked. "So, why so bent on getting married anyway? If we tie the knot while we're still in the biz, we run the risk of one of us biting it." Max says, keeping a light attitude despite the serious matter of the conversation. "I know, it's just that all this craziness is happening, with that Shepard hunting for the reapers, and those damn geth. I've even heard that the Collectors are in on it now. Look, if anything happens to me, I at least want to have ring from the man I love." She replies, despair apparent on her features. "What? That's it? I thought something bad happened like you wrecked my car or something." Max says, a jovial tone apparent in his words, which received a glare his way . "Alright, alright, if you wanna do it, then let's do it the second we get off the ship. You go find someone willing to do a shotgun wedding, I'll get the rings. Hey Demo! You're the best man!" "'Bout time!" His friend shouts. "Wonderland you be the bridesmaid! I know how much you hate dresses but this is important." "Any other reason, and I'd strangle you for even suggesting it." Alice says, happy about the good news. "Max, quit joking, I'm serious." Pinnam says, fighting a giggle. "I'm being serious too. Now, where can we get you a wedding dress? I know I have a monkey suit laying around somewhere." Before she could respond, Alice shouts from the pilot's seat. "Shit! One of the ships from the last mission tailed us! Son of a bitch, this ship isn't meant for dog fights!" "Who are they?! Alliance? Fleet?" Daemon asks, trying to find something to hold on tight to. Pinnam shouts "Batarian Slavers! We were hired to grab a slave and get him out! Didn't think they would follow!" A blast rocks the ship. Daemon is thrown back and slams into the wall behind him, snapping his neck as well as peppering him with shrapnel. He slumps to the ship floor, dead. "Holy shit, Dae-" Alice shouts, but another volley hits the ship. The piloting screen explodes, covering her in metal and glass, a large piece impaled in her throat. She struggles for a moment before succumbing to her wounds. She soaks the pilot seat with blood, dead. Max and Pinnam rush for the escape pod. Another blast knocks the two loose from their footing. Max hits his head, knocking him unconscious. Pinnam grabs him by the shoulders and drags him to the pod. A wall explodes, sending metal flying in their direction. She closes the pod door and launches it as the ship finally gives way and falls in on itself. She lays max down on the ground. She looks down to her stomach as she bled a copious amount. Max awakens to find her barely clinging to life. An Alliance ship picks up a distress beacon and proceed to locate it. They find an escape pod. Inside is a one eyed human wearing Blue Sons armor. In his arms was a female turian, blood pooled around them both. She lays in his grasp, sapphire blue eyes staring blankly, dead.
UnexpectedMax lays in his bed, his Omni-tool powered on and playing an archived recording. "...I'll see you later, I love you." it repeatedly said. The man lets loose a sigh as he finally sits up. He walks to the door to the hall. The sun is just beginning to rise over the horizon. "...I'll see you later, I love you." He walks down the empty halls, searching. He turns a corner and sees a pair of guards walking in his direction. The same two from before. 'What were their names?' he thinks to himself. The grey one says something, but he doesn't hear it. "...I'll see you later, I love you." The pegasus and unicorn's heads turn towards his arm and look at the Omni-tool. The blue one speaks now. Still, he hears no voice. His mind doesn't care for anything except for that one voice. "...I'll see you later, I love you." He walks past the two ponies, towards a glass door leading to the garden. The two follow him, worried. "...I'll see you later, I love you." "What's going on Max?" Flashpoint asks as they approach a pond, their friend silent save for his breathing and the constant repeating of the odd phrase. The human stops at the pond and sits down, his Omni-tool still lit up and playing his favorite, and only, message. 'There we are...' Max thinks to himself. "Hey Max! You okay?" Strongwing shouts, uncertain of the importance of the event or the message. "Can you hear me?" he says as he waves his hoof in front of his face. 'Hoof. Wait, hoof?' He finally snaps out of it, blinking and looking around. He opened and closed his mouth several times before settling on keeping it shut. "...I'll see you later, I love you." He turns his head to face his still active Omni-tool. Pressing a few buttons, it shuts off, disappearing from his arm. "There we go. Now, what were you doing?" "I, uh, I was looking for one of these." He points to the pond weakly. "Pinnam and I would have a picnic by one whenever we weren't on job." He turns toward the door he entered as Sharpfeather walks past. She notices the group and decides to join them. "Hey guys, what's going on?" She asks, unaware of the situation. Soon after she asks she sees the tired and depressed look plastered on the human's face. "Whoa, are you okay?" Max allows a grin as he answers. "It's that bad, huh? I was just telling these two about my old girlfriend, Pinnam. She was a turian, like Samdon." "'old'? What happened?" Flashpoint asks. "Did you two split up or something?" Max shook his head, his smile wavering for a moment. "No, no, it's not that. She, uh, she passed away, along with another two friends. On the day we were supposed to get married." The eyes of all three ponies widened. Finally, after a long moment of shocked and depressed silence, Strongwing speaks up. "Max, I--" Before he could finish speaking, another guard walks through the glass door. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the princesses wish to speak with you and the other two." Max stands up and dusts himself off. "Alright, I'll go talk with them right now. Oh, and thanks for getting me out of that awkward situation." Ignoring the stallion's confused face, he continues. "Where're the princesses at?" "They are waiting in the Throne room." And with that, the guard left. Max starts walking towards the door when Sharpfeather speaks. "Hey, Max, if you ever need to talk, please, we're here to talk to you." She says, a caring tone scaling every word. The man turns and gives the trio a warm smile. "Thanks, I'll remember that." Later, Throne room The three mercs enter the large room, curious as to what the princesses wish to talk about. "Ah, you've arrived, now we can speak of the most recent event." Princess Celestia says, keeping her neutral expression, but an ounce of sorrow escapes through her tone. An ounce that Aldiv catches. "I suspect something terrible has happened?" the salarian asks. All present turn to him, surprised by his estimation. After a moment, Celestia regains her composure. "Yes, another ship from your world has crashed. This time it landed in griffin territory. When they investigated, they discovered two corpses. One of a blue being, similar to build as you, Max, and a large creature that walked on four legs. We were hoping you could help us determine a way of putting them to rest." "Sounds like an asari and an elcor. Best thing to do is to bury them, find coffins that would fit them, have a ceremony, you know, the standard thing." Samdon says. "It would've been nice to have some more company, but it looks like we'll have to wait for that." Luna clears her throat to get the three's attention. "Max, may I speak with you, privately?" The night princess says. "Sure." He says as the two walk towards the hall as the others keep speaking. "So, what's up Night light?" "Another one of your nicknames, I presume? Anyway, I wish to apologize for being so rude to you when you first arrived. I've just been extremely paranoid, what with the recent invasion and--" "Wait, invasion? What invasion? If there's someone threatening your land, I'd need to know." Max says, his temper slightly rising. "Relax, the changelings have been pushed back, and thanks to recent negotiations, we've reached an understanding. As I was saying, I'm really sorry for everything that I've done. Will you forgive me?" "It's alright. So, would you consider me a friend now?" He asks. A smile crosses Luna's face. "Yes, I would. Now then, let's join the others to continue discuss recent happenings." Meanwhile, Ponyville "Oh, come on Twilight! It's been a few days since we've seen those aliens, you've gotta be a little curious." Rainbow Dash says, hovering midair of the library. "Of course I'm curious, but I'm not just going to drop everything to go to Canterlot." The purple unicorn says, busy organizing a pile of books. "Fine then, if you're not going, I'll just go myself!" The cyan mare says before flying out a nearby window, eager to meet the strange beings from events prior. Author's Note It's here! Finally, all two of you can enjoy this crap pile's continuation! Enjoy this as I reconsider my entire existence as a human being! *sobs uncontrollably*
The most dumb dummy that ever dumbed."What do you mean I can't go in?!" The rainbow maned pegasus shouts. "I'm the Element of Loyalty! I've helped save Equestria multiple times!" The guard, expressionlessly, replies. "Yes, but the visitors are not from Equestria. Also, you didn't warn us of your visit beforehand. Now then, please leave." Before she could retort, however, another guard interrupts. This one, she recognizes, though. "Wait, you're Rainbow Dash, right? My cousin's told me about you, about how you saved her life, along with a couple of her friends." Strongwing says. "Lieutenant, please allow miss Dash to pass." Begrudgingly, the guard obliged. "Now then, what can I do for you?" "I wanted to see the visitors! We didn't really get to talk on the carriage and I thought it would be awesome to chat with actual space aliens!" "Well, I think Max, the one with the metal eye, is in the garden. The other two tend to keep to themselves." And with that, they began towards the royal garden. As they traversed the halls, something the stallion said earlier stuck out in her head. "By the way, you mentioned your cousin, right? Who is she exactly?" She asks, curious as to who may have mentioned her, by name no less. "Oh, well, I really don't like to mention it. She doesn't exactly care if I tell ponies, but they tend to not believe me." He says, a bit fidgety now the subject has been brought up. "Is she famous? I don't think I've saved any celebrities specifically. Anyway, just tell me, come on!" She says. "Okay, but don't tell anyone, the only other pony that knows is Flashpoint. She is Sp...." He says, mumbling the name. "What?" "She's Spitfire." He finally says. "No way! THE Spitfire! I can't believe this! That is so cool!" She shouts. "Quiet! Flashpoint won't stop bugging me about it, and he's just one pony. What do you think will happen if everyone knows? I don't think I could deal with that. So please, don't tell anyone." "You've got it! So, how much further is the garden, anyway?" She asks They turn down a hall to see a small glass door. "It's right there." As they approached, Lucky turns a corner and sees the pair. "Ah, hey Lucky. Oh! Have you seen Samdon or Aldiv?" The synthetic takes a second to think before responding. "I BELIEVE THEY ARE RUNNING TESTS ON THE TWO SHIPS." "Two? I thought only one came down." Rainbow Dash says, catching the attention of Lucky. "YOU ARE NOT A GUARD. YOU DO NOT APPEAR TO BE A POLTICIAN EITHER. REASONS FOR YOU TO BE GRANTED PERMISSION TO SEE VISITORS, INCLUDING MYSELF, ARE LIMITED. OBVIOUSLY A PERSON OF IMPORTANCE. WHAT IMPORTANCE MAY THAT BE?" "She is one of the six Elements of Harmony, a powerful magic that has saved our land, and the world, on multiple occasions." Strongwing says. "Who's this?" Rainbow Dash asks. "I AM GETH NUMBER 7777. YOU MAY CALL ME LUCKY. I JUST RECENTLY CAME HERE WITH ANOTHER, 3040. IF I MAY ASK, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR VISIT?" "She came to see Max. How's he doing?" Strongwing says. "HE'S BEEN WATCHING THE POND AS WELL AS FEEDING ONE OF THE GARDEN ANIMALS. A PEACOCK, I BELIEVE." Strongwing gives the synthetic a confused look. "A peacock? I didn't realize we had one in the garden." Author's Note Hey look, a chapter! What's next, another chapter? That'd be ridiculous! P.S. I'm pretty sure no one read my blog, so I might as well say it here. The second I graduate, I'm joining the Marines.
StoriesMax sits in the garden by the pond as he absent mindedly pets a peacock laying in his lap. As he watches the motionless water, a stallion guard, accompanied by a rainbow maned pegasus and a slender synthetic, approaches him. "Hey Strong, Lucky." He turns his attention to Rainbow Dash. "I've met you before haven't I? Yeah, on the carriage ride over here." "Yeah. The names Rainbow Dash, the best flyer in Ponyville AND The Element of Loyalty! I've come here to ask a few questions about you and where you came from. So, first things first, what's you home world called?" "Well, that's complicated. I was born on Ilium, but my specie's origin is Earth. Oh, and my race is called 'human', just for future preference." He says as he continues petting the bird. "Alright, cool. How about that thing on your head, is it some fashion thing?" She continues, excited to speak with an alien species. "I lost my eye a long time ago, before I was a merc. This toy here lets me see out of that side again. Can't say I don't miss it, though." "Oh, sorry to here about that. What happened?" A sullen look crosses his face as he recalls the incident. "A bunch of guys called the 'Blood Pack' charged the dock I worked at, killed everyone there. The guy leading them tried to shoot me in the head. You can probably guess what the rest looked like." "Jeez, those guys sound like jerks. What did you do?" "Passed out. Took a couple weeks off. When I went back to work, I couldn't focus on anything. The place was too familiar. I eventually got fired. I don't blame them." "How did you start doing mercenary work?" She asks. "Well, before I got shot, I took out a lot of the guys hunting us down. Didn't have a gun, so I used my Biotics. Apparently, that impressed the right people. Said they saw my potential to do great things. I was out of a job, so I really didn't have much choice. Any other questions, and please, try a lighter subject." "Okay, how about, uh, this guy?" She says, turning to look at Lucky. "Oh, him? He's a geth, a race of synthetics created by the quarians. They were originally just a labor force with little to no minds at all. But, they kept upgrading them so they could perform more complex tasks, which eventually led to their sentience. They started questioning their existence, why they were there, and why they should be owned by their makers. Of course, some of the quarians thought that this was a wonderful thing, they had created a new species, and wanted to be their friends. The rest, however, saw them as a threat, foresaw their uprising, and prepared for what they thought was the inevitable." "So, what happened. Did the geth rebel?" She asks, curiosity filling her mind. "No, the Creators attacked first. We simply defended ourselves. Some geth wished to just push them back, keep safe. The majority, however, saw them as the ultimate threat to our existence, including all other organics. The Creators and geth that wanted nothing but peace were eventually lost in the fighting, confused for warriors instead of bystanders. My consciousness was not created yet, so I do not know of everything that happened." Lucky says, a somber tone tinting his metallic voice. "Exactly. Now, this happened three hundred years ago, but the quarians were chased of the planet, forced to live on ships for far too long. It virtually destroyed their immune systems. They need to wear special suits to keep the safe." "This does not keep them from being effective combatants. If the suit is punctured, it immediately repairs itself, as well as injecting antibiotics to prevent any infection." Lucky continues. "Wait, wait, wait. So your species is only three hundred years old?" Strongwing asks, deciding to finally join the conversation. "Yes, but our population is easily maintained. Whenever a significant drop in our numbers occurs, we increase our production. If it is too much, we slow it down. Being machines has its advantages." "Alright, how about these 'Biotics'? What's that?" "I've explained this about three times now, so listen closely, because it's getting annoying. I, like many others, was exposed to element zero radiation while I was in the womb. It gave me these abilities." Max says as he raises a piece of bread he had with him in the air, which the peacock in his lap promptly plucks out of the air. "Hungry little guy, aren't you? Anyway, we aren't able to focus it without a special chip, which needs to be surgically implanted in our brains. it's called wetware. It helps us use our powers. They work sort of like muscles. The more you use it and practice, the more powerful it gets." "Sort of like our wings, right?" Strongwing asks, now fully invested. "Well, I have no idea what it feels like to have wings, but probably, yeah." Meanwhile Dark Space "AN ANOMALLY HAS BEEN DETECTED IN RELAY #977652. IF THIS BECOMES A MAJOR ISSUE, THEY MAY NOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES. URBANUM, INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATLEY." "I WILL DO AS YOU SAY, BUT I WILL PROCEED AS I WISH."
