Chapter 8
Endless Midnight was srounded in darkness again.
And once again the Voice started talking.
"So you managed to get yourself beaten up again?" Nightmare chuckled "I swar, you've made it your goal to suvive things that anypony has no bussnise surviving"
"So I'm not dead?" she asked, but already knowing the answer.
"No" she could hear the smile in the Nightmares Voice "but you did take a very big fall"
Midnight again try'd to find the voices owner, but just like last time, all she saw was black "Am I going to come here every time I get knocked out?" she asked.
"Yes, but only when you've been hit badly" The voice admitted "Now I think you should wake up now" she cood.
"One more thing" Midnight said "Last time I was here... you said I'll see you on Arralia, what did you mean by that?"
"If I told you that, then I'd spoile the surprisee, All will be come clear in time"
"What kind of answer wa-"
___________________________________________
"-Was that?" she said as she woke up "Dam, she getting really anoying" she fumed.
She closed her eyes and lean up and went to rub the side of her head with her hoof.
When she toched her head, she felt cold metal from where her hoof was meant to be.
She opened her eyes and looked at her leg.
silver metal shined back at her.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, not taking her eyes off the Metal prosthetic.
she stopped screeming and looked at the new leg from top to bottem, it was like her old one but with a hand insted of a hoof with claws at the tips of the fingers.
Inbeaded in the hand was a Orangey red Ruby that flickered like fire.
she moved the Fingers experimentaly, testing how much she could move them, then she began moving the entire leg into diffrent poses, seeing how flexible it was.
She try'd not to panic, checking to see if any more of her body parts had been replaced with metal ones, but found that it was only her leg.
After calming down, she began to look at where she was.
She was in a Xeno hive, that much was apparent, but insted of it being dark with black biomass, the biomass was white and it was well lit.
another thing that struck her as odd was that she was in a bed and not hanging from a wall, the bed was even clean too with fress blankets and pillows.
the room seemed to have only one way out which lead to a corridor coverd with the same bony white substance.
she saw her stuff laying next to a wall to her right, everything but her pulse rifle and sidearm that was.
She climed out of the bed onto the bony biomass, being wery of the new leg, and walked over to her gear and checked over it.
Her armour was blood stained and had a large section torn off where her now missing leg would have been.
after looking pulling it one she relised that her radio was missing too.
She needed to find out what happend and get in conntact with the other marines.
"First things first Midnight" she said to herself "You need to find out where you are"
She pulled her holomap out from her bag to find it full of claw and acid damage.
Hopefuly, she try'd to turn it on, only to have it spark wildly in her metal paw.
she threw it away in anoyance "Just my luck" she mutterd.
She heard a little squeek from behind her as the device hit the floor.
she turned arount to see what had made to sound, scaning the room, she almost missed the little white bundle of fur hidning under the bed, its amber eyes staring at her.
"Hey you!" she called, walking over to the bed "Who are you?".
The bundle of fur's eye's widened as she aproched, and quickly rushed from under the bed and ran to the corridor, stopping just outside.
It was definetly a pony filly, an unicorn she, what she was doing here Midnight didnt know, but she wasnt about to let a young pony run about a Xeno hive (even one so odd) alone.
"Hey wait kid" she called after her "Don't go alone!" but the filly was gone already.
Midnight cursed as she grabed her sadle bags and ran after her.
She she ran through the hive, she was shooked by the fact that no Xenomorphs had come to attack them, infact she not seen a single one at all.
The filly made a right turn and dissaperd form view "Hey Wait!" she called as she rounded the corner.
The room that met her was large, she guessed it was an atrium before it was turned into a hive.
the Filly was standing at the center of the room, looking at her, but Midnight wasnt looking at her.
behind the Filly, suspended in a large alcove, was a Pure white Xenomorph Queen, one with a unicorn horn.
"Kid! get away from that thing!" she yelled at the filly, droping into a fighting stance.
the Filly turned around and faced the queen, but insted of running away from it, she ran towards it and hid behind its leg.
She looked at the Filly and then the queen, bewelderd, why wasnt the filly sacred, and why was the queen not attacking her of Midnight.
"Now now, thats not how to treat a Flilly"
Midnight recoiled, she hadent heard the voice from her ears, but in her head.
She looked around wildly, trying to find what had said that.
"There is no need to be afrade... you are safe here"
She stared at the Queen, and realised what had spoken to her.
"What are you?" she demanded "Why can I hear you in my head?".
The large creature stared at her with her eyeless head "You have always been able to hear to us like this"
"Ok, then why is a filly in a place like this?" she asked, ignoring the creatures odd answer.
"She part of my Family" The queen said "Just as you are".
"I'm no family with a Xenomorph" she spat "your race only wants to kill, breed and wipe us out"
"Is that a way to speak you your mother?"
Midnights blood ran cold, Mother? this thing? if that were true then she was-
"Yes, you've got our blood coursing through you" She clenched her new claws into a fist "Stay out of my head" she said through gritted teeth. "My apologies, I can see you are resentful of me"
"Yea, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've only just recovered from almost dieing after a queen like yourself attacked me" she said "So yea, you could say I'm more then a little resentful of you"
The creature nodded it large head "Hmmm yes I can see why, but you confuse us with our Xenomorph cousins" it rose up a little "We are the Prometheans"
she heard shuffling from the hall behind her.
looking behind her, more 'Promethean' and even other pony's had appeared, but were just standing there, watching and wispering to each other, some out loud and some in there minds.
"now I think you should apologise to your sister for scaring her" she queen said, silencing the other voices.
"S-Sister?" Midnight stemmed.
The little filly creped out from behind the queens legs and allowed Midnight to see her fully for the first time.
She was white with and orange and red mane, with amber eyes like Midnights.
Midnight eyes widened, she had a horn like Midnight had seen at first, but what she hadn't seen was that she also had a small pair of wings.
She was an Alicorn.
The filly looked up at the queen, worryidly.
"It is OK Empathy" the queen told her before turning to Midnight "November this is Empathy Flame"
"Um you must have the wrong mare, My names Endless Midnight not November"
The Queen Made a noise that sounded like laughing "Of corse thats your name, having grown up with the royal sisters you wouldn't have known"
anything Midnight was about to say was interupted by Empathy dashing to her and bouncing up to give her a big hug.
"ohmygoshtheysaidthatIhadaeldersisterbutIneverthoughIwouldbeabletommeetherbuthereyouareitsoexiting"
she would have found the moment adorable, have Empathy not been hugging so tightly that she was having difficulty breathing.
"Excuse me, whats going on?"
she turned to see the Promethean at in the hallway part to let a elderly blue Unicorn pass "I heard a commotion so I came-" she stopped as he noticed Midnight "oh"
The stalion walked up to her and looked her from head to hoof (and paw) "You've grown November" he said.
"She says her names Endless Midnight" Empathy told him.
he raised a eye brow "Endless Midnight you say"
"and you would be?" Midnight asked.
"Names Stonehold, I guess you've met my wife" he pointed at the queen.
Midnight looked at him, back to the queen then back again, her mouth ajar.
"Dear I think we've shaken the poor already" the queen said with another chuckle.
She pulled the filly from her and put her on the ground "I find this all very... freaky" she said "But I have two questions, First" she raised one claw "how long have I been out"
"One of our members found you just outside the Xeno sector" Stonold her "almost every bone in your body had been broken from the fall you took, as well as you were one leg short" he pointed her new leg "That was 6 days ago"
"Ok" she said, raising a second claw "Second, where is my radio? I need to check in with my Captain".
Stonehold raised a eyebrow "your Captain?" he asked "your not a princess?".
Her eys widend to the size of sarsers "Oh hell no" she exclaimed "I'm just a marine staff-Sargent trying to stay alive is all"
He nodded "Your radio is over there" he said pointing at a wooden table near the queen.
She nodded her thanks and troted over to it and picked up the divice.
After checking if it had any damage, she stuffed her earbloom in and hit the power button.
"Staff-Sargent Endless Midnight to any Equestrian marines on this channel" she puased "Anypony read me?"
there was a full muinte of silence before the radio crackled to life.
"This is Goldroot" the vetreans voice sounded like music to Midnights ears "Sargent, How the Hell are you alive"
She looked back at everypony and Promethean behind her "It's a long story sir... One I'm sure you'll be intrested to hear"
"Well you'd better get back here, I know a few ponys who would be glad to see you"
"Not yet" she said "theres somthing I got to do first, I'll contact you again in a few hours"
"Ok Sargent, good to hear you still kicking"
"You too sir" she said "Midnight out" she turned the radio off.
Turning to face the queen, she looked into her eyes (or what counted as eyes for her) "I think you'd better explain somthings" she said "and don't leave anything out".
___________________________________________
R.E.S.S Freindship, investigating E.S.S Salura.
Twilight Sat in her office, her head in her hoofs.
The Salura had been abandoned, leaving beonly the Xenomorphs that had infested it, not a single Marine had been found aboard.
The ships hanger had been empty of all Aircraft, holding only a few ground veuacles and the bodys of many Xenos including he queens.
But no Midnight.
She heard a knocking on the door.
"Come in"
the door hissed open and Rosebud Trotted in.
"Princess, We just got the results on the blood we found in the Saluras hanger... Its hers" she said "But we think she my be alive" she added quickly.
"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked.
"Becuase We found this recording" Rosebud said, passing Twilight a laptop "Its already preloaded but the first parts got no sound"
Twilight pressd play, and watched.
She could clearly see the Xeno queen adcancing on a Dropship, its pilot scrambling around trying to get the ship off the ground.
The creture then recoiledd as somthing started shooting at it.
Then Twilight saw her.
Midnight came swooping in levitating two guns infront of her, filling the queen with lead.
The young alicorn was waring a set of Marine body armour without a helmet, though the picture qulity wasnt good, Twilight could see that Midnight had a Cuti mark too, a shield.
She felt a tear run down her cheek, she not been there when she'd gotten her cutimark finaly.
Her heard stopped at the queen swated Midnight out of the air and made the Alicorn crash into a parked tank.
for a moment Twilight though that her Duaghter was dead, but when she finaly stired Twilight Sighed in relife.
the The Alicorn got up, cliamed up onto the tank she crashed against and started pelting the queen any Xenomorph near her, with the tanks Cannons (which were 2.2mm Eradicator cannons which fired 300 Bullets per miunet).
The Xenomorphs around the queen fell in chunks, but the queen herself stood unharmed, like the cannons were oce.
Midnight then abandoned the Cannons altogether and pulled a flamethrower out and started roasting the Monstrous creture.
the fire was doing real damage to her and Twilight would see that, but the queen still struck many direct hits on Midnight, before knocking her asie again, this time making er hit the far wall.
the Camra view canged view and sudnly the speekers on the laptop started up, showing that this next part had sound.
Midnght was crumpled against the wall and Twilight was sure that she wouldnt be getting up, but sure enough, the Young alicorn got to her hoofs again, but when trying to fly, grabed hher wing.
Under closer inspection, twilight could see that she had badly ingured it and flight would be inpossable.
but the Marine alicorn just pulled out her side arm and started fireing again.
the Queen was agvancing on her, damage that it had taken from Midnight Flam attack was apparent, but now the creture had it sights on Midnight, the being that had cuased it somuch pain was valnurable.
It screeched as it was about to make the killing blow.
then somthing hit it, sending chuncks of the things arm flying (Luckly missing Midnight).
then a Vendetta Gunship came into view, its wineing engines filling the audio.
"Hunter 4 here, thought you could use a hoof"
Twilight guessed that the camra had picked up the radio message from the gunship pilot, who was now tearing the Queen appart with missles and high callaber rounds.
when the thing finaly died the pilot and a few other ponys let out a cheer over the radio "Scratch one queen".
The Princess ignored the hovering gunship and focused on Midnight, who as now sawaying left and right ""If... you guys... don't mind... I'll just... gona lay down here..." the alicorn colapsed onto the deck.
Twilight saw three ponys run out the ground run at full gallop to the fallen alicorn and puller back to the dropship.
The video cut off there.
She stayed quite for a long while, stuned by what she saw.
"Princess, I'm sure she's still alive..." Rosebud said "One of the ponys who went to get her was my Buttercup, And if she's there then that old sturbon mule Goldroot be there to"
Twilight nodded and leaned back "I know, Its just... I never though she could do somthing like that" she said "And without any spells, she just flew in with little care for her own safty and no plan" She shook her head "It makes no sence, she Knows that that is a foolish move"
"I don't think she was thinking about beating her at the time" Rosebud said, lookign though a folder she had been carrying "The dropship there was her squads assigned one, Viper 2-3" she looked over a paper "It says her that that one had been having engine problems, My guess is that she was trying to by the pilot some time"
Twilight nodded, That sounded like her step Dughter, she closed her eyes.
"Rosebud, my I ask you a personal question?"
"O...of coarse Princess, what do you want to know?"
"Do you think I did right by her... Midnight I mean, I Run it over and over in my mind and nomatter how hard I think about it, I just can't understand why she would intentionly throw herself into harms way" she leand forwad and layd her head on her desk "She would have been safe if she had become a Princess".
"If I may be bold Princess" Rosebud started carfuly "But maby Midnight didnt want to be safe or to have the responsability that comes with being a princess"
Twilight though it over, it was true that Midnight had argued that she wasnt cut out to be a princess and after seeing her in action, she did seem to be doing more good as a marine then she had thought, but it d find them, I'm taking Midnight back the Equus" she said standing up "I'll keep her safe if she likes it or not" she looked at Rosebud, giving the Unicorn a Smile "And You know you don't have to call me princess Rosebud, your my student after all"
Rosebud smiled to and nodded "Yes I know Twilight, just habbit" she put a reasuring hoof on her shoulder "And I'll support you What ever you dicide" she said.
"Thanks Rosebud"
"don't mention it"
Rosbud turned to leave but Twilight called for her to stop "One more thing, Did you manage to get the roster that they said they were going to leave behind?"
Rosebud nodded.
"What Rank was Midnight?" she asked "I'm curios of how well she was doing"
"Well she broke a record, she was a Corpral the when she got popped from cryo, and on the same day, she was premoted... twice" Rosebud said the last bit with dramticly "She's A Staff-Sargent"
Twilight giggled "Staff-Sargent Endless Midnight" she said testingly "Has a nice ring to it"
Rosebud left the room quickly.
____________________________________________
Midnight sat down infront of the queen (Who she had been told was called Bright Dawn) and continued to listen to what Stonehold and Dawn had to say.
They had explained that the Prometheans were a split off race, that had been around since before the first Xenomorph encounter, they share many traits with their Xenomorph cousins, but that was only cosmetic, unlike the Xenos, each Promethean was an indavidual and was capable of making their own dicisions, plue there were two genders.
they had gone on to say about how they kept their race alive, thay had said that orignaly they had done the same as Xenomorphs, by infecting a host with a facehugger and inplating them, but unlike the more aggressive Xeno fases was gental, the host would die peacefuly and the new boarn Promethean would emurge and grow to full size in a day, also when the host dies, their consiusness passes to the new Promethean.
In a way, it was an extrem rebirth (but came a close second compared to the way a phoenix firey rebirth).
"but how do you get new hosts to implant?" she had asked.
"We don't kidnap them if thats what your getting at" Stonehold had assured her "Anyone here went through the process by ther own acord"
Midnight had been repulsed by the idea that some ponys would actuly go through it willingly, but kept her mouth shut as Stonehold and Dawn continued.
the went on to explain that they had ponys all around the Equestrian colanys aswell as on Eqqu itself, these ponys searched out ponys, aswell as cretures of other races that they felt would join their sociaty.
"If they say no, we hold no ill agaoinst them, but use a spell to wipe the meeting from there minds, there for keeping us a secret"
"But what about the ponys who I saw outside?" Midnight asked "are they infected?"
The queen shook her large head "No, They stay as ponys" upon seeing her bewilderd look, Dawn explained "If you chose to join our ranks, you are given a choice wether you want to go through the rebirth process, or to stay as you are and live here" she spread her four arms wide, empathisig the ship itself.
After that they started telling her detail the laws and other complicated stuff which she didnt realy care about and ended drifting off abit, becoming lost in her thoughts.
First she had found that the vision she had, had before this whole mess started was right about alot of things, the loss of the Salura, the loss of her leg all of it.
and she had a feeling that the planet that Nightmare wanted her to go, this Arralia, could well t that the vision pridicted she would be on.
She knoticed everyone staring at her and shook her head "Um sorry, lost in thought" she apolagsed.
"There's no need to apologise Midnight" Dawn said, almost soothingly "you've had this sprung upon you so sudenly and you have a right to be overwhelmed"
She nodded but frowned, remembering something "One thing I must ask though" she said "I know you're probably expecting this... but why did you leave me alone at the gates of the palace?" she asked.
Dawn and Stonehold shared a look "Yes... we were wondering why you didnt ask sooner" she admitted "But our resons go back to your birth"
They waited untill they were sure that she was listening before Dawn began "The first thing you should know is that you wernt born like, as in a sence, but created by the combend magic of your father and me" she told her "Becuase I had already gone through the process and become this" she gestured to herself "We couldnt have children, and we wantet, so much"
Stonehold took over "But one of our members who worked at the royal archives in Cantralot found a spell that would alow us to have one, by using magic to create a full living being" he looked over to his wife "Since your mother could still use her magic we gave it a try. And it worked" he said proudly remembering the night.
____________________________________________
"Are you sure this will work?" Dawn asked as she climed down from her weby throne.
"I dont know, but its worth a shot" a younger Stonehold said "This is the only salution he was able to find"
"I know... but I'm still worryd"
"I know my love, but With our combined magic I'm sure that we can pull this off" he assured her.
Slowly she nodded and brough her head down, toching horns with her husbands "Lets get thih" she said, the nervosness still in her mental voice.
they began the spell, leting the magic flowthrough them, before relesing it.
One second they were together toching eachothers horn, the next they both were on the ground.
Stonehold got up first and looked around, puzzled as to how he had ended up on his back.
Then he saw a little bundle of Midnight blue fur at the center of the room.
he quickly got up and went over to it, to see what it was, daring to hope that they might have actuly sucseeded.
Sure enought, laying curled up into a ball, was the most adorable Filly he had ever layd eyes on.
Dawn began to pullherself up with her larger pair of arms and look at her husband, who was bending down to scoop somthing up.
"Did it work" she asked.
Stonehold stuned to face her, grining with tears streaming down his face, showing the Little filly to her "It's a unicorn" he said proudly.
Dawn looked at the litte pony, then gasped and pointed at her with one of her little arms "No she not" she said.
Stonehold frowned and looked closer at the little filly.
she had a horn like he had saw when he picked her up, but upon closer inspection he knoticed the little pair of wings.
There little Filly was an Alicorn
____________________________________________
Midnight blinked repeativly.
She'd never relised that her birth had been so... Explosive?
She shook the though away as and let her parents continue.
"You were perfect, a completly natrual alicorn which we could love" Dawn went on.
"Half actuly" Midnight said in her head.
You know I heard that right" Dawn said before continuing "At the time, we felt that nothing could go wrong... we were fools to think that"
"The Xenomorphs got though our defences and attacked us, in our desperation to keep you safe, we used what magic we teleported you away from here" Stonehold told her "A day later, you were found at the Royal castal by one of the princesses and you know the rest form there"
She nodded understanding, she had grown up thinking that she had been abandoned because her birth parents didn't want her and Twilight had been the best mom any filly could ask for...
"I know you probably hate us... I wouldn't blame you if-"
Midnight put her hoof up to silence the Promethean "I couldn't hate you even if I tried" she assured them "what you did was the right thing and I Don't hate you for it" she shrugged "I just means that I have two mothers now... sort of"
She saw them both relax, happy that there Daughter didn't hate them and even accepted them as her parents.
"Well in that case I want to know everything Ive missed in my dughters life" Dawn said laughing.
Midnight Smiled "I must have the weirdest Family ever" she though as she began her story.