‘Wake up Ios...Ios...It’s time to get up...Ios...’ My eyes snap open as crusted blood flies from my eyelids. I try to yawn but I am only met by a blood filled gurgle. My eyes widen in surprise. I look around me and stifle a groan of pain. I appeared to be in the ruins of a castle of some sort. I notice how high I am and decide to look down. I instantly regret it. I am impaled by a ten foot long shard of stone suspended about one hundred feet in the air. I see several of my internal organs stuck and pierced along the spire of rock. I try to lift my right arm but it’s severed at the shoulder, the ragged cut spraying blood at my attempts to move my nonexistent limb. A distant roar below me catches my attention but I quickly ignore it. I try to lift my left arm and I see my forearm dangling only by strands of bloody muscle tissue, rivulets of blood falling down to my ruined legs.

I weakly bring my left arm to the spire and grip it. I pull as hard as I can and flap my wings as I begin to shift forward. I push my hand along the spire and repeat. Pull. Cough. Bleed. Repeat. Pull. Cough. Bleed. Repeat. Pull. Cough. Bleed. Repeat. After what seemed like decades of pain and blood, I finally reached the edge. I attempt to take a deep breath but I only gurgle. I give one final pull and my limp body slumps off the spire. I weakly flap my wings to slow the descent but it didn’t help. I fall, fast and hard onto the rocky ground. My wings crack and snap under the weight and force of the impact. I stifle a pained scream.

I manage to crawl over to a ruined castle wall and I prop myself up. I begin to make the necessary repairs to my body. I watch as nanotrites flow from the pores in my skin to transform oxygen atoms and molecules to the needed materials to fix my body. I sigh in relief as my metallic bones reform, my genetically and robotically augmented muscles regenerate, and my pale engineered skin re-knits itself.

I sigh as I set about troubleshooting the suit’s operating systems and making armor repairs and upgrades. The process took several minutes due to me losing liters of blood, and seeing as the nanotrites in my blood were needed to make repairs to my suit and my body, it took awhile.

With all systems and bodily functions back at one hundred percent I lay my head down. I was about to pass out due to exhaustion but my drowsiness was quickly dispersed when I heard a twig snap and several throaty predatory growls. I look to my would be assailants. They appeared to be some ridiculous chimeras of some sort. They all had the body and head of a lion, small draconic wings, and a large scorpion tail. After giving each other a look, they prepare themselves to pounce on their quarry. I smirk. “...It’s showtime...”

...In the Everfree Castle...

The manticore awoke with a yelp after having his home completely obliterated by a bunch of strange rocks. Suddenly, the sound of coughing and sputtering reached his ears. He flicked his ears towards the sound. More coughing. Several red droplets fell in front of him. He look up and grinned maniacally. Something was there, and it was wounded.

He roared, calling several Everfree creatures to come join on the feast. He watched, to his amusement, as the bipedal creature fell down from the spire, feebly flapping it’s wings but to no avail. It fell harshly as a sickening crack was heard. It watched in confusion as the creature completely healed itself of all it’s previous wounds. He saw it lay it’s head down and decided that’s when it needed to strike.

Several of it’s brethren jumped down beside him. They each shared a wordless look at one another and confirmed their plans. They shook their manes and began to push forward. As they slowly stalked towards him one of the manticores stepped on a twig, causing it to snap loudly. The other five manticores looked and growled at their brothers stupidity angrily. It smiled sheepishly. They turned back to their prey and saw it was wide awake and alert. They wasted no time and prepared to pounce. What they didn’t see however, was the strange bipedal forming a strange sword in his right hand.

...In The Everfree...

The small group of ponies had seen it all, from the awakening, to the fall, to the regeneration, and finally to this strange creature’s soon-to-be demise at the hands of six manticores. Twilight had begged and pleaded Shining Armor and the Princesses to do something, but not only were there six manticores but this creature was not a citizen and could be more dangerous than those six manticores that were hunting it.

Twilight tearfully stomped away from the group, disgusted at their choice of anonymity towards a living thing in need. All her friends except Fluttershy went to console her. Fluttershy tried to go and help the creature after seeing in upon the spire but was detained by the Royal Guard.

“I just can’t believe the Princesses and my brother of all ponies could just watch as something was killed like that! He’s captain of the guard! Isn’t he supposed to guard ponies in need?!?” Twilight lamented.

“Ah know sugarcube! What in tarnation has gotten into them? Ah know Ah’m not supposed to speak against the Princess an’ such, but this. Is. Wrong! This just wasn’t the way Ah was brought up! Ah thought we were supposed ta help ponies in need! Not let ‘em die like that!” Applejack ranted.

“I agree! Shining Armor’s being a Meanie Pants Mcgee! How does he expect us to help ponies if they don’t let us help them when they neeed help!?! Don’t you agree Dashie?” Pinkie asked, frantically shaking Twilight.

“No.” She started but was soon cut off by the angry glares she was getting,”I mean look, I dunno okay! I mean it obviously wasn't a pony and we don’t interfere when woodland animals are hunted so why should we interfere now?” Dash asked.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash is right.” Shining Armor replied joining the now escalating argument. “I mean it isn't a pony! Why should we interfere?!” Twilight looked at him, contempt glowing under her bloodshot eyes.

“I heard it speak!” She exclaimed.

“So?” Shining scoffed, “Parrots talk too!”

“No! It was sentient! It smiled! It spoke! It wore clothes!” She screamed, tears flowing from her eyes.

“You’re missing the point! It isn’t a pony!” He snarled angrily.Twilight recoiled as if stung as she finally understood his message. She hung her head in spite, not wanting him to see her tears.

“So,” She started smugly, “What if it was a donkey? Or what about a griffin hmm?” She asks building up in volume as her eyes meet his own, “Or what if it was a zebra, or a changeling, or a dog huh!?! Would you leave them to die because they weren’t ponies?” She screamed at him, her friends holding her back from mauling her brother. Shining Armor looked away. “You make me sick you coward! What would Cadence say about you right now?! You’re all just afraid dying for it aren’t you?” She asks accusingly. Shining Armor scowled.

“Sis! It’s different because-” He pleaded.

“I’m tired of your excuses. You aren’t any brother of mine. Out of my bucking way...” She stormed off as her friends gave Shining Armor angry and accusing looks.

Twilight trudged angrily through the forest kicking a small pebble throughout the flora in anger. As she reached the spot the were camped at earlier, she steeled her nerves, ready to berate the Princesses for their lack of trademarked compassion. She emerged from the bushes, her mouth open and ready to give the Princesses a piece of her mind but the words stopped in her throat as she was met with fear filled gazes.

But they weren’t directed at her, no they were directed at the castle ruins were the corpses of ten manticores, four hydras, and three dragons lay, battered and bloodied. And in the creatures place stood a giant black metallic thing that stood on two legs, gripping strange mechanisms in its hands.

The sight startled Twilight and she let out a loud shriek of terror. The thing turned towards her she saw the word ‘Vindictam’ printed in white down it’s arms and three red orbs staring at her emotionlessly. And as it stepped towards her she truly felt fear for the first time and when it reached towards her she felt her bowels almost loosen in terror.

When it touched her, she felt the cold emotionless metal on her fur and she felt all of her fear crescendo into full out terror. She felt herself stumble on her hooves and fall to the ground. And the last thing she heard was,”Vales paulo equus res?” Before the world went dark.

Author's Note

Fight scene you guys missed is next.