Behind Blue Eyes in Equestria - Part 1

>Its back was turned to you.

>It hadn't noticed you while you crouched in the long grass.

>It looked equine in nature, but was adorned with simple forged armor.

>The armor also appeared to be made of solid gold.

>Gold was a horrible material for armor.

>A horn jutted from the animal's head.

>You wondered what the inhabitants of this place did with such ornamental animals.

>They must have gone primitive.

>Such a thing wasn't unheard of.

>A minority of humanity had shunned technology, preferring to return to the roots.

>The animal turned around and looked shocked.

>"S-Stop right there!"

>Perfect English.

>A talking horse?

>It shocks you for a moment.

>You supposed it was possible, given genetic therapy and tampering, but unheard of for primitives.

>You stand to your full height, emerging onto the road once more.

>You're about double the animal's height.

>"I don't know what you are, but I'm taking you into custody!"

>You raise your arm-blades.

>WARNING: ANTI-GRAVITATIONAL FIELD DETECTED.

>You feel weightlessness as the ground falls away.

>The horn coming off of the horse's head shines a faux-white.

>You blink through to your weapon menu, bringing up a favourite weapon of yours.

>The Linebreaker.

>It was simple, really, a solid anchor mechanism attached to a thick chain, which could be fired off and retracted.

>It was usually used to anchor the suit to ship's hulls from afar, or pull in screaming marines that were out of reach down longer corridors.

>You fired it into the ground, and it pulled you down.

>You get a better visual on the horse.

>Its eyes are larger than normal, very expressive.

>It looked horrified, and then shouted for help.

>You trudge forward as fast as you can, heavy footfalls shaking the ground.

>Your target turns and runs back a few meters, flanked by five more horses that have emerged from the grass.

>"You are under arrest!"

>WARNING: QUANTUM EVENT DETECTED.

>A bright white spike pierces your armor and you white out.

 

 

>CONSCIOUSNESS LEVELS WITHIN ACCEPTABLE LIMITS.

>CHARGING CAPACITORS.

>CHARGED.

>REBOOTING ORGANIC SYSTEMS.

>An arc of pain sears your mind, ripping you back into the land of the living.

>SUCCESS.

>You were in a small room, lined with brick.

>Only a candle and a small barred window allowed any light.

>A cell.

>You could hear sounds of battle, faintly echoing through the hallway.

>Perhaps the cavalry had finally arrived.

>You shouldered your suit's weight and stood up.

>The suit's helmet demolished the ceiling.

>The door looked like it was made of wood, reinforced with iron.

>Pathetic.

>A single punch splintered the door and you crushed your way past the narrow opening.

>You weren't sure how those horses could have fit your suit in there.

>It didn't matter.

>You stomped your way down the dimly lit corridor, your shoulders shattering every lamp along the way.

>You could barely fit, but you made it outside.

>Finally standing up, you took in the situation around you.

>Absolute chaos.

>The horses you had seen earlier were battling with dark, jagged forms.

>Dark and jagged usually meant trouble.

>Judging by your surroundings - pale towers and silver lining - the golden clad horses were the defenders.

>They also seemed to be losing.

>Battle, your reason for life.

>It was what you were born to do.

>You shift the suit's weight from one boot to the other.

"Engage battle systems."

>ONLINE.

>Your HUD updated with hundreds of pings to your front and left, the rear and right being blind.

>The damage from the crash.

>Your arm-blades slid forward and locked into place.

"Identify friendlies," you tell the suit, blinking towards a nearby golden horse.

>IDENTIFIED.

>REFERENCING AGAINST ALL TARGETS.

>DONE: IFF TAGS UPDATED.

>The horses flashed green, and the black, spindly forms flashed red.

>You were born for this.

 

 

>The suit thunders forward, and you crush your first insect like a cream-filled donut.

>The horses - you guess that they're guards - are shocked.

>"The prisoner!  It’s free!"

>You ignore them, and dismember a pair of enemies.

>They had taken notice of you too, and in wisps of smoke, were replaced by more guardsmen.

>They still flashed an angry red.

>Shapeshifters.

>They wouldn't fool you so easily.

>You fire off the Linebreaker.

>It impales two of the shapeshifters, gutting them completely.

>The chain didn't even anchor; it slipped through paste as it recoiled back to you.

>A swarm of the shifters flies through the air, the city is absolutely overrun.

>THUMPH, THUMPH

>Moving forward, a group of a dozen fliers sets on you from behind, clawing at your suit and trying to pry it open.

>The tiny little claws barely scratch the paint as you douse yourself in flammable goo and ignite into a pillar of fire.

>The charred corpses then freeze and shatter.

>You stomp forward, dozens and hundreds of shifters try to overpower you and fail.

>You dump the entire tank from your flamer, searing the bodies of hundreds of the shifters.

>You slaughtered them.

>You were born for this.

>The corpses pile up past your knees, you wade through a sea of dismembered body parts.

>Your computer helpfully reminds you of 351 confirmed kills.

>It beeps again.

>WARNING: UNIDENTIFIED GRAVITATIONAL DISTURBANCE DETECTED.

>You can see it, the central tower of the city glows like an irradiated stone.

>Your Linebreaker anchors into the stone street, and you hunker down.

>You disable the optics just in time, a blinding light seared from the tower.

>A wave washes over your suit, desperately trying to dislodge it from the ground.

>You hear arcing in your backpack's reactor.

>WARNING: OVERLOAD IMMINENT.

>SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN.

>The interior of your suit went completely dark.

>You hadn't been dislodged, but your reactor had turned off to avoid a breach.

>It would take at least two days to safely vent the excess material, otherwise the reactor would burn out completely and you'd have a new coffin.

>You just had to wait.

 

 

>The suit hummed as the timer in the top-right of your vision ticked off the remaining seconds.

>It had been tough, sitting in darkness for two days, but you had been trained for that.

>You could survive for six months without any supplies on a low power mode, and remaining sane and battle-ready through inky darkness was expected.

>The suit went through its regular startup protocol.

>REACTOR: ONLINE.

>SENSORS: ONLINE.

>WEAPONS: ONLINE.

>ALL SYSTEMS NOMINAL.

>NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE, SEE MAINTENANCE REPORT.

>Good, the reactor had vented safely.

>Your optics suite lit up to reveal a stone floor, bookshelves, a large hourglass, some carpeting, and various other adornments.

>It appeared to be a library; you knew some of the admirals had similar setups.

>Books were obsolete in the modern era, where information could be assimilated into a brain rather efficiently.

>Around you, a soft blue shield domed overhead, enclosing you.

>Outside the shield, a small army of guards stood behind three more important-looking horses.

>You couldn't get over how expressive their eyes were.

>"It’s waking up!"

>A female voice.

>"Stand back Twiley, it killed hundreds of changelings, we don't know what it’s capable of."

>A male voice.

>"It’s all right Shining Armor, the barrier will hold."

>Another female, more regal.

>Your optics scanned them.

>The male was adorned with darker armor with thicker plating.

>A white coat and blueish-purple mane, he eyed you warily.

>The female to the left was purple, also with a horn.

>The last female to the right stood taller than the others, wore regal attire, and also sported wings.  A multicoloured, transparent mane flowed via some unseen force.

>Your suit was kneeled down, and the barrier probably wouldn't let you stand up.

>They would probably interrogate you.

>The methods of coping with interrogation flooded your mind.  As long as they didn't get in your suit, you doubt that they'd even be able to threaten you.

>"So... what is it?"

 

 

>Your eyebrow rose sharply.

>They didn't recognize a terror suit?

>"I'm not sure.  The guards said they found it outside of Canterlot before the wedding, and locked it up so it didn't cause any trouble.  During the attack, it broke free and attacked the changelings.  They say it killed more than they could count."

>You remained silent.

>"Did it attack any of Canterlot's guards?" the regal one asked.

>"No Princess, it looked at our guards but then went straight for the changelings."

>You'd chosen the correct side in this little conflict.

>You noted a mark on the flank of each horse.  It appeared to be different for each individual.

>The suit read your thoughts and began a catalogue.

>"Drop the barrier."

>The guard captain, Shining Armor, stammered and objected.  The Princess was being rash.

>She would not listen, and insisted the barrier come down.

>It did.

>You rose to your feet, towering over the equines in from of you.

>The tallest was the princess, who came up barely to your chest.

>You put your gauntlets up in a defensive stance, but kept your arm-blades sheathed.

>The trio in front of you eye you closely.

>The Princess takes a half step forward.

>THUMPH-THUMPH, your stance widens.

>You had no doubt you could crush her lithe form with one gauntlet.

>"Can you understand me?" she asks slowly.

>You remain motionless and silent.

>It was better if they believed you could not communicate.

>"Let me try something," the smaller, purple horse says.

>She ventures forward carefully, and you turn slightly to guard yourself.

>A tiny, pale orb escapes from her horn and flits around you.

>It stays half a meter from your frame, orbiting.

>"I think he can understand us, and can talk, he just... isn't."

>A mind probe.

 

 

>Your massive gauntlet reaches out to crush the device.

>And passes through it.

>What?

>You swipe for it again: you can't seem to grasp it.

>The three horses back up.

>"Twilight Sparkle, stop that spell immediately."

>The Princess sounds cross.

>The purple horse meekly complies, and your computer identifies her as Twilight Sparkle.

>The computer also runs an analysis on Shining Armor... it seems to think the two horses are related.

>The white orb disappears.

>Interrogators never called off probes like that, they were far too useful for information gathering.

>They were either rookies, who didn't know that such a probe made other techniques less effective...

>...or they were not interrogators.

>You grit your teeth.  Maybe that's what they wanted you to think.

>You have your suit run a mental scan.

>Nothing was implanted by the probe.

>The Princess approaches you again.

>"I know that you're afraid, but we don't want to hurt you."

>They had had at least three days to do that.

>They had also imprisoned you.

>"You're in Equestria.  I am Princess Celestia, its ruler.  Who are you?"

>Your computer tagged her and the mark into its database.

>You sat in silence, the only sign of life from your suit was the pair of blue optics on the suit's 'face'.

>You could tell they were looking at them.

>They must not know about the war.

>A new species.

>First contact was strictly forbidden to be made by clones.

>You were meant for war, not discovery.

>You sit in silence; you were not supposed to break from your standing orders.

>"It’s not going to talk to you, Princess. We should just leave it alone."

>"It may be dangerous, Twilight, I wish to know for certain that it won't harm my little p0nies."

>P0nies.

>Silence becomes harder.

>You struggle against the urge to speak.

>The probe had definitely done something to you.

>More and more you felt the need to answer.

>"We should lock it up, Princess, we've seen what it can do, it will only cause trouble."

"It will not."

>Your suit intentionally garbled your voice into a deep, automated one.

>They said only clones and the admirals knew what an unsuited clone really sounded like.

>It was forbidden to talk to anyone else.

>But if you were to escape and rejoin your unit, you couldn't sit as a prisoner.

 

 

>"So it CAN talk," Twilight Sparkle observes.

>"That doesn't mean he's friendly Twiley, stay back."

>"What is your name?" the Princess asks.

>You didn't have one.

>Your only identifying piece of information was a serial number, much like weapons had serial numbers.

>Its purpose was only for quartermasters and equipment specialists to identify specific "organic equipment".

>Clones only had one collective name.

>One they all shared.

"Anonymous."

>You had already said too much.

>You were strictly forbidden to divulge anything to outside influences, especially making first contact.

>The three horses appear to think on the name for a moment.

>"But that doesn't mean anything, that's a lack of identity," the guard captain appears frustrated.

"I am allowed no identity.  I am a solider."

>"No identity..."

>"Anonymous, where do you come from?"

>Interrogation was always subtle.

>You chided yourself.

>The only way out was damage control.

"I will not reveal my origin."

>"Why must it remain a secret?"

"I do not know your intent."

>"My intent is to send you back home, but I cannot do that if I don't know where to send you."

>It made sense to you, but your training screamed TRAP.

>You sat in silence.

>They really did not seem to understand.

>You decided to try something.

"Are you aware of the galactic war?  There are three factions."

>Everyone who was alive knew of the Union, the Empire, and the Federation.

>They might lie, but you relied on your equipment to try and discern chemical or facial changes.

>Tics, things that would suggest a departure from the truth.

>"I know nothing of your war or your factions.  I have never seen any creature of your like before."

>"I didn't even know animals could have metal skin," Twilight points out.

>You sat in silence for a few seconds, and then lowered your weighty arms.

>You had no evidence to believe that they were hostile, or were of any threat.

>This was a new species for sure.  This world was definitely uncharted.

>You thought about it for a moment longer, then remembered that the Union, your comrades, had areas where soldiers could go if they were separated from their units.

>You needed a galactic map, though.

>The fighter.

 

 

"Another craft appeared where I entered your land.  I will acquire co-ordinates for you to send me to, and I will destroy the craft."

>The group in front of you nodded.

>"We did find something in the fields, Princess."

>You winced.  If they had salvaged the craft, it may poison their society.  

>You had heard of primitives who advanced too quickly.

>The group agreed to your terms and led you outside.

>A cleanup of the city was already well underway.

>A few chariots were waiting, pulled by the guardsmen.

"This will not be adequate."

>The guards look at you with a frown.

"I doubt that your guards will be able to transport my combat suit, Princess.  It is heavier than ten of their brothers."

>The Princess eyes you carefully.

>"Shining Armor, can you pinpoint where we need to go?"

>The captain complies and moves to a nearby ledge, he squints at the landscape below and points towards a thin column of smoke.

>A flash of light later, you're standing in the grassy field.

>Instant quantum folding, with no engines?  Or power sources?

>Impressive for primitives.

>You lumber over to the column of smoke.

>Pushing past the blades of grass, you stop dead.

>The ground was slick glass.

>The fighter had vaporized itself, having detected primitives in the vicinity.

>Your comm signal was gone.

>Your map for co-ordinates was gone.

>Your way home...

>...was gone.

 

 

>Your boot slamming into the ground sends thunder across the landscape.

>The group behind you rushes up, and sees your predicament.

"The craft sensed your guards, which means that my own craft did as well.  Their technology is not allowed to fall into the hands of primitive--"

>"Now wait just a second we're not--"

"Do you know what quantum folding is?"

>The captain shakes his head.

"Plasmatics?  Arc reactions?  Cyclic atmospheres?"

>None of them know what those are.

"...Not allowed to fall into primitive hands.  It would poison your society."

>"And you?  What about this... armor you have?  Shouldn't you be... like this too?"

"You are not in possession of it."

>"We could have sampled it; maybe we took part of it!"

>You lean down close, the cool blue optics on the suit stared directly into Shining Armor's eyes.

"You did not."

>A realization suddenly topples your cool resolve.

>You were not going home.

>You'd been trained to die bravely, but this wasn't a battle.

>You were alone; a stranger in a strange land.

"It appears I will not be returning home."

>Silence falls across the group.

>"Um, Princess?" Twilight Sparkle interrupts.  "If he can't go home... maybe he needs a new home?"

>"An excellent idea Twilight."

>You stare at the cold, shining ground.  Plasma vapor always left such a shine.

>"Anonymous, I would like to extend a formal invitation to Equestria.  Given your actions to defend our kingdom, perhaps you can find a new life here, one away from war and fighting."

>You knew what happened to deserters.

>You didn't want that to happen.

>You didn't have a choice.

>You weren't born for this.

>You answered them with silence, still studying the waving pattern in the glass.

>They seemed a thousand miles away.

>Everything seemed so far away.

>You knew nothing except the most efficient ways to kill a ship's crew and leave it derelict.

>Without that, you were without purpose.

>Useless.

>You'd be a prisoner in this land, waiting for the Union to eventually find you and make an example of you.

>But... maybe you were far enough away.

"I will accept your invitation."

>You had no other choice.

>"Excellent!  Twilight Sparkle, I will leave Anonymous in your charge."

 

 

>A flash of light later, you were inside another library.

>This one was smaller than the one previous and wood was the primary building material.

>You shifted your suit's massive weight from side to side.

>"Twilight, why do you ALWAYS bring home such weird stuff?"

>A tiny reptile scurried down from the upper level.

>"Spike, this is Anonymous."

"You may call me Anon if you desire a shorter name."

>"Anon. He's new to Equestria, but he can't go home."

>"Out of all the places he could have ended up... he ends up here?"

>"Yep! And we're going to make sure he makes lots of friends!"

>You silently wished the Union death squads would find you soon.