Heart of Iron (Crossover One-Shot.)

>"Are we there yet, Twilight?"
>You rolled your eyes.
"Rainbow, that's the SIXTH time you've asked me that in the last fifteen minutes!"
>"Well maybe if we HURRIED UP, I wouldn't have to ask so often!"
>You groan and look up from your map.
"Rainbow, hurrying up wouldn't accomplish anything! This is a scientific expedition! We're here to map the unexplored regions of the Everfree Forest, not race!"
"...I see no reason why we can't do both."
>"I swear Rainbow, you gotta one-track mind if I ever seen one."
>Oh boy, here we go.
>True to form, Applejack and Rainbow IMMEDIATELY launched into an argument.
>You groaned and did your best to ignore it.
>Honestly, you loved your friends, but sometimes they were just...
>You were on what might prove to be the greatest expedition in pony history, and all they could do was BICKER!
>It was enough to drive a pony to madness.
>"Twilight! Heeeey, Twiliiiight! I found something!"
>Speaking of madness...
"Yes, Pinkie?"
>"Fluttershy and I found something!"
"...Is it another colorful frog?"
>"....Nooo..."
"Is it a-"
>"Twilight, just come see it already! I've never seen anything like it!"
>You roll your eyes.
"Alright, Pinkie. A small detour can't hurt, I guess."
>She giggles and bounces away, and you follow her.
>"It's juuuust over here."
>You follow Pinkie throught he underbrush, grimacing as she reaches down and pulls at something with her mouth.
>Once again, you're thankful for ma-
>You get a better look at the thing Pinkie's tugging at.
"Sweet Celestia..."
>Its moving.

Anon's Perspective.
>...........
>...............REPAIRS COMPLETE.
>AWAKEN.
>Your arm twitches.
>That is the first thought, the first sensation, that comes to your mind.
>Images, flaring bits of green light and almost forgotten memory, flash through your mind.
>You are....you are....your name....what is your name?
>You activate your eyes, metal sliding away from glowing orbs as you sit up.
>The sky is blue. Atmosphere mostly oxygen, mix of nitrogen. Living microbes everywhere your powerful orbs can view.
>You are surrounded by trees.
>You remembered the sound of trees.
>The feeling of the sun on your face.
>The wind at your back.
>Memories.
>Your head twitches, ever so slightly, as you feel your mind struggle to dig through a thick haze in your memories.
>You were...there was something...just out of reach....the forest was familiar...everything was...
>There is something on your foot.
>You look down....way down.
>There is a pink animal.
>Trying to eat your toe.
"......"
>The animal looks up at the sound with wide eyes, and you feel immediately repulsed.
>There is something disgusting about this creature...inherently so...yet you can't put your finger on it. It is both familiar and infuriating at the same time.
>"OHMYGOSHTWILIGHT, IT'S A HORNLESS MINOTAUR!"
>"That thing's....bigger than a minotaur, Pinkie."
>You lean over, placing one hand on the ground as you bend low to get a better look at the creatures before you.
>Biologicals. Equines. Bearing signs of shaping by the Ancient E-e-e-e-e-e-
>Biological equines.
>You felt a sense of wordless...something...that you couldn't quite describe.
>"Ummm...hello? Mister...giant...metal...biped thing? Can you talk?"

>Your eyes scan over the small creature's neck.
>It would take five pounds of pressure per square inch to shut off blood flow to it's brain.
>An even more miniscule amount of pressure to snap its neck.
>You could do it with two fingers.
>The larynx was shaped similar to...to....to....
>Your memory stalls again.
>You analyze it's speech patterns, voiced and voiceless phonemes, throat shape, and structure of it's skull in the span of seconds.
>Its language would be child's play to pronounce.
>You chose not to speak.
"...."
>The purple one flattens it's...you can't remember the word...and grins sheepishly at you.
>You cock your head to the side. Is this a display of aggression?
>Flashes of memory, bared roaring teeth and vicious, cruel grins, play through your mind.
>No...not aggression...despite...despite....despite....
>"Mister? What can we...call you?"
>You did not know.
>"What...what ARE you?"
>Your mind raced, flickering over images, memories, visions.
>...You did not know.
>Well...we have to call you something...."
"..."
>You were at a loss. What was this creature? Where were you?
>"Oh, oh, ooooh! Pick me pick me!"
>"...Pinkie?"
>"We can call him the Iron Giant!"
>"...Pinkie, I'm pretty sure that's not iron. I'm not even sure if it's...metal."
>Metal...
>That sparked some curiosity in you, but only faintly.
>It was another connection, another wire that led to no where.
>"Ummm...we can...I mean if we..."
" A...non."
>Your voice was deep...rumbling...metallic.
>You did not enjoy the sound of it.
>The two creatures stiffen, and behind a tree, you see a third crouch low as it's heart rate increases drastically.

>"Is that...is that it's name?"
>You are...you can't find the phrase for it.
>Not pleased.
>You had just combed your mind for every possible piece of knowledge related to the query put forward to you by the equines.
>All you could remember was what you told them. A-non.
>"Is it alright if we call you that?"
"..."
>"...I'm assuming that's a yes."
>"I-Is he safe?"
>"He's harmless, Fluttershy! Real big, and kinda scary looking, but he seems kinda...not all there, ya know?"
>The pink one rolls its eyes and taps her hoof on her head.
>You should feel something about this, you think.
>All you can muster is confusion and further frustration.
>As you stare at the tiny equines, another comes trotting around the corner, slowly.
>An offensive shade of yellow with a pink mane.
>She uses it like a guard's shield, hiding behind her hair as she stares up at you.
>"Oh...my..."
>"See, Fluttershy!? Perfectly safe!"
>You examine her a little more closely, prompting an 'eep' and a retreat behind her mane.
>You feel something like an ache in your chest cavity.
>"He's...g-giant! And...s-scary..."
>"But harmless!"
"..."
>A groaning, metal sound issues from your vocal mechanics.
>All three equines look at you in a mixture of fascination in terror.
>Eventually, the purple one starts asking questions.
>"Why is he here? Where did he come from...I have so many questions!"
>The two other equines stare at their purple friend.
>"Girls, we CAN'T leave him out here! Whatever he is...he's something new! Undiscovered! We have to study him!"
>"But...ummm...Twilight...where will he stay?"
>The pink equine and the purple one look at the yellow one.

>The yellow one is shaking in her...hooves?
>"But he's so...I mean he's so....big and...metal...and...his face..."
>Was there something on your face?
>You absentmindedly paw at the smooth metal with one thin, sharp finger.
>All seemed to be in order.
>Whatever order for you was, anyway.
>Order was important. Order was what kept the ene-the ene-the ene-...
>The pink one giggles.
>"His head's going the sparky thing again!"
>"Oh my! The poor thing's hurt!"
>There is a blur of yellow, and your eyes slow everything down as you watch the winged yellow one approach your head.
>You scan it's face for signs of aggression and find none. It holds no weapons. It's hooves seem soft and are certainly incapable of harming you.
>You do not react as it circles your head and taps at the back of your cranium.
>"There's...something stuck in here..."
>She stops talking, and you feel a light tugging at the back of your skull.
>"Eeep!"
>She flies back around, cowering on the ground.
>"It...started sparking...worse..Twilight, Pinkie, you girls are right! We can't just leave him out here!"
>"...Do we even know it's a him?"
>"Not important, Twilight! He's hurt!"
>"Well then...what do we do?"
"..."
>They flinch as you try to vocalize, again.
>Failure. It only causes more frustration.
>"...I can...take him back to my cottage...if that's okay, I mean. We can keep him there..."
>"I'll tell the Princess! And then we can run a few tests...ask some questions...."
>"TWILIGHT! He's injured! We can worry about testing once he's better!"
>The creatures begin to bicker, and you feel your annoyance overtake you.
>You should do...something...
>"It's decided, then. He'll stay at Fluttershy's until he's better."

Day 2.
>The yellow one was to provide you with shelter.
>You understood this on some level, even as you stared at her layering leaves between two trees for you to sit under.
>She found your stare uncomfortable.
>You knew this, but had no other way to view. Blinking was impossible.
>You sat under her shelter, watching her tiny avians cluck and run around in circles outside of their miniature dwelling.
>It was a calming sight.
>You had combed your mind six thousand, seven hundred and fifty two times in the last 48 hours.
>Nothing but frustration and the memory of a memory greeted you.
>You knew you knew this world. You just didn't know how. Or why.
>Or what your purpose here was.
>It was a world of the Ol-ol-ol-ol
>"Anon?"
>You stop trying to remember at the concerned voice of the yellow one.
>"You're hurting yourself again! How can you get any better if you keep doing that, Mister! You burned off another bandage!"
>The yellow one had wrapped cloth around the back of your head in order to fix whatever damage she had found there.
>You had considered trying to explain self-repair protocols, but swiftly dismissed the notion.
>You couldn't even explain that to YOURSELF, let alone a lesser b-b-b
>"Let me get you another bandage...."
>She sighed, and you watched sullenly as she went inside to find another thing to replace your now smoking head-wrap.

Day 5
>"And that's a tree!"
"...Tree..."
>"See! You're learning Equestrian awfully fast, A-non!"
"Elder Installation Silver Zero Five's tongue is known."
>Fluttershy blinks.
>"Is that another..."
"..."
>You were frustrated again. Things would come to you in flashes and leave just as quickly.
>At least whatever was afflicting you did not destroy your ability to form new memories.
>The name of the yellow one was known to you, now.
>She was...showing you around her cottage, 'teaching' you her language.
>Teaching you about the Elder Installa-
>The -Equestrian- way of life.
>She lived outside of the forest you had been found in.
>It was apparently full of creatures she placed in designation 'dangerous, big, scary and mean.'
>You found her fears...amusing. That was the word describing your emotion.
>"A-non?"
"...Thinking. Apologies."
>"It's alright. I'm just glad you're no-"
>She breaks off, squeaking, as something snarls and roars from the direction of the cottage.
>You stand up as she takes off in a run back towards the cottage.
>Something is there, waiting for her.
>It is larger than she is, aggressive. You can hear it's heartbeat.
>Something strange is happening. The heartbeat of one of Fluttershy's 'chickens' has ceased.
>The animal senses you coming. You are not quiet.
>It escapes through the back of the coop as you and Fluttershy approach it.
>The yellow pony is...weeping?
>Fluid drips from her eyes as she cradles a still bird in her hands.
>You are confused.
>You lean down and gently nudge the bird's head with a finger.
"...Awaken."

>The chicken does not respond.
>You poke it again, confused.
"Wake."
>Fluttershy shifts her front hooves, pulling the chicken away from your finger.
>"Anon! Stop it!"
>You pull back, even more confused.
"You are upset. Awakening the avian will calm you, yes?"
>"She's not asleep, Anon....she's dead..."
>A thousand, thousand thoughts flash through your mind.
>Dead.
>Permanently, irrefutably dead.
>Something new curled in your chest cavity as you looked at the dead avian.
>...Horror? Was that the name of this emotion? You feared death. You realized that now. You had feared death so much that you'd....you'd...
>You lost the thread of thought.
"...Dead..."
>Fluttershy catches your tone, and looks up at you, sniffing.
>"Anon?"
>You kneeled down, staring at the dead chicken in mounting horror.
>Your hands shook, spasms running up and down the metal joints as you struggled to comprehend what you were seeing.
>"Anon...it's okay...Anon..."
>You feel her hoof on your leg.
>"It's...Anon, death happens to...all of us, eventually. It's...not a bad thing, to die."
>She looks at the broken coop, and down at the bloodied chicken.
>"It's...bad to kill...."
>She looks up at you.
>"But not bad to die."
>You stare at the bloodied chicken, your hands working in the air as your mind races.
>You feel Fluttershy nuzzle your leg.
>"It's okay, Anon. It's okay. She has friends here to look after her, and she has friends waiting for her where she's going. Just like you do."
"...Friends..."
>The two of you sit there for a long, long time.

Day 17.
>It was a good day.
>You were tending Fluttershy's animals.
>They had all gotten used to you, by this point, crawling along your limbs and the ridges in your metal body.
>A few even clung to the tails of your cloak, treating it like a ride.
>The white one, Angel, only threw four carrots at your head a day, rather than twelve.
>Fluttershy was with the others in town.
>You had met the gem-flanked one early. You disliked her. She found your appearance 'too somber' and tried to cover you in gems and cloth.
>The apple one only talked about apples. She disliked it when you could not eat them.
>The rainbow one was loud, fast, and irritating. She wanted to race you. You lost the race.
>You finish shoving all the chickens in their coop and turn to muck out the pigpen when you hear something.
>Growling. A lot of it.
>Something is coming from the trees.
>You look up, as a multitude of winged creatures leap out of the tree cover, snarling and soaring over the cottage.
>They are headed towards the town.
>You do not think they are friendly.
>You stand there, paralyzed by indecision, a broom held in your fingers as Manticores soar over your head.
>As you stand, you feel something slam into your upper back.
>Jagged claws rake at your cloak and the back of your head.
>You let out a metallic cry of confusion and reach behind you to tear the beast off, when it's claws strike the back of your skull.
>The green glow of your eyes grows dim as the claws strike once, twice, three times.
>A thin sliver of bonelike material pulls out just an inch....
>...And everything is suddenly clear.

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlLVYWT-Hc
>Your eyes blaze in your head as your memories come rushing back to you.
>This world, in it's prime, as it was being formed by the Old Ones.
>The Eldar and the greenskins dying in the thousands as you and your legions ravaged their numbers, intent on bringing their Old masters down and their creation along with them.
>This world was precious to them. A work of art, they had called it. They had done their best to keep you and your Dynasty away, but they had failed.
>The Stormlord had called upon you, and you had answered. Your shadow had fallen across this world, and you would see it burn and break before it was finished.
>They battle had been glorious, a good war, truly worthy of such a pompous name as the War in Heaven.
>The Eldar had come for you at the height of it.
>A council of their primitive, Warp-loving Far Seers, and their greatest Autarchs.
>You had slain them to a man, breaking them like the fragile little things they were.
>But the last one had attacked you with a strange weapon, something formed of song and magic and faith.
>A thin needle of bone, driven into the core of your mind, constantly attacking you, struggling to keep you from repairing or returning to your Crypteks for removal.
>You had fallen.
>Your soldiers had failed without you, the Old Ones rallying and routing them with a new race at their heels, a race of horned, winged beasts, psykers all.
>You reach up and slowly pull the sliver of wraithbone free, then call your Staff of Light to you.
>You were Anon al Rah, Necron Overlord of the Setesh Dynasty.
>And you remembered everything.

>You grab the beast on your back by its mane.
>It snarls and tries to claw at you.
>You fling it to the dirt and step on it's neck, crushing its windpipe.
>More beasts wheel in the sky, screaming and roaring as they make their way towards the town.
>You raise your staff.
>Moments later, only ash and scattered, blackened bone falls from the sky in place of the beasts.
>You set off towards the town of equines, your blazing green eyes settling on the colorful place in the distance.
>More beasts meet their end as you march, death following in your wake.
>The roaring and screaming of the townsfolk is clearer as you approach, as are the voices.
>Twilight Sparkle, shouting orders.
>Rainbow Dash, with her bravado.
>Pinkie, jokes and anecdotes.
>Rarity, screams.
>Applejack, local drawl.
>And lastly, Fluttershy. Whimpering.
>Green light presages your entrance into the town, spears of emerald leaping from your staff and turning the manticores into so much dust.
>The screaming stops as you make your way to Fluttershy and her companions, each of your steps cracking the paved street.
>They look upon you with fear, as befits your visage, your station, and your size.
>All except Fluttershy.
>You bend, taking a knee to get your face closer to the equines. Twilight's horn lights up, gathering her filthy 'magic' out of fear.
>"Fluttershy...he's...different. Stay back."
>The yellow pegasus ignores her friend, stepping closer to you.
>"No. He's Anon....he's still our friend."
>You hold out your hand, and the equines flinch, Rainbow flaring her wings and getting read to attack you.
>You extend a metal finger, and Fluttershy nuzzles the necrodermis, smiling.
"Hello...friend..."