Chapter 9
"I still can't believe you took on a queen" Stonehold said.
"I was in a coma for a week" she remainded him.
"Yes but you were fully recovered within a two day of coming out of it"
"Aaaand..."
"Thats not normal, even for an alicorn"
She gave him a cheeky grin and glanced at her mum "I probably get it form your side".
She had been talking for almost two hours about her life, her perants had laped up every word.
"There is one thing bothering me" Dawn said "Was it a coinstance that your ship is overun with us in close vacinity... or did somone or somthing plan this?"
"Well it looks like were stuck here anyway, we can't call for help becuase we can't get to the bridge" Midnight said, her head hanging low "And we can't use the ships we came in since there isnt any Colany of marine ships in the area"
"We'll we can solve both those problems" Stonehold said, making her head snap up.
"How?"
"Well there is a Equestrian marine Resarch base on a world near here" he started "I think the worlds name was arralon or arraila somthing-"
Midnigth turned pale "Do you mean... Arralia?" she asked fearfully.
"Yes, thats the name, why?" he asked "You know it?"
"you could say that" she told them about her Talks with Nightmare.
her father stroked his chin thoughtfully "And every time you talk, she says she'll see you on Arralia?" he asked.
She nodded.
"The it is probably best if you go there then" Dawn told her "I think you need to find out who thie Nightmare is"
Midnight nodded "But that still leaves us with the problem of transport" She pointed out.
Now it was Dawns turn to provide the answer "I have a way, but I think you sould bring your commander here to hear it too" she said.
"You want me... to bring Goldroot... here?" she said in disbelife "But what if he just kills everyone here?"
The queen laughed "I dont think he would do that dear, from what you've told us about him, he is open minded and will understand"
"She had a point" Midnight thought, scratching her chin with her claw "Ok, I'll go and bring him" she told them.
"Ok, I will have some escort arranged as soon as you are ready"
"If its ok with you, I would like to head off right away" she told them getting up.
"Ok, I'll get everything re-"
"WAIT!"
Midnight truned around just intime to see a white blur flying twards her and hit her left leg.
"I want to go with you" Emapthy said as she held tightly to her leg "Please"
Midnight looked at the Filly "have you been there this whole time?"
She nodded, and looked at their pearnts "Please can I got?" she pleaded.
"I dont know Empathy, thats Midnights choice" Dawn said.
"Thanks for that mum" Midnight thought to her anoyed.
"Love you too hun"
"Please midnight" Empathy beged "Please!"
"oh goddess, she's using the puppy eyes" She thought "Must resist... Must resist!"
"Ok" she said before she could stop herself.
"YAY!" the filly celibrated, bouncing out the room "I'll get my stuff ready" she shouted back as she dissaperd from view.
Midnight sat down and sighed.
She heard hoofsteps behind her and felt Stoneholds hoof on her shoulder "Don't worry Midnight, there was no way you could resist her cuteness" he assured her.
She nodded, the a thought came to her head "If Empathys my sistter, then does that mean you two-"
"No no, we were happy to have just one" Dawn said behind them "It turned out that when we cast the first spell, it left a dormant part of it behind lingering here" she explained "about 11 years ago, that spell remnet became active, and after an flash of ligh like you, there she was"
"So she was an accident?" Midnight asked.
"Yes, but I think that in the end it was a good one" Stonehold said "It just met that I hat to keep my hidden supply of chocolate hiddent from a very resourcefull Filly"
"well..." Midnight said with an evil grin "now you have a resurcefull filly and mare to hide to from"
he gave her a hopeless look "My Stash is doomed!"
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after Being given a map of the ship and where she needed to go, Endless Midnight, Empathy Flae and thier three Promethean guard left the Promethean controled zone and made their way the Marines a deck above them.
Empathy was humming a happy tune, while she was curled up on Mindights back.
After while, Midnight had to admit that her and the filly shared alot of simularitys, Empathy looked alot like she had when she had been her age, and her eye matched Midnigts perfectly, it gave the Little filly a almost wolfish look.
Midnight began pointing the torch she had been give at random things, then the light rested upona small armourd door, the word Armoury was printed in bold ubove it.
Midnight stopped infront of it, prompting one of her escorts to speek "Why are we stoping Princess" he asked "your firends are only alittle way ahead"
She walked up the the Doors sacurity lock "while I'm sure you can protect me and Empathy from any danger" she said "I feel exposed without a weopon of my own, Its a Marine thing" she explained.
"Well your not going to be able to get inside, we've been trying but we can't crack the code"
She smiled back at the Promethean "Thats becuase you dont have a marines Lockpicking skill" she said with a wink.
Midnight grabed onto the Keypads casing and began tuging it.
Becuase of her new legs agmented strength, the casing fell away with ease, the wiring inside it was shookingly simular to that used in Equestrian computers.
levetating her torch to give her more light, she began unpluging wires and replacing them, using her new clawed finger helped alot and she was getting the hang of the benfites that the leg brought with it like being able to pick up and hold things without magic aswell as being able to do more detailed work that she would not have been about to do otherwise.
once she finished her work, she steped back as the door let out a sceech of rusted metal and it opend.
Row of lights clicked on, reveling racks full of a wide assortment of rifles, shotguns and other chuncks of weapony goodness.
"Ok boys" she said steping inside "the Store is now open".
the Three Prometheans steped inside after her after her and began browsing the weapons.
As she inspected each weapon, amazed by how simular they were to alot of the E.M.C's.
then she cought somthing in the cornner of her eye.
at the end of the lines of weapon racks was a large storage crate, with a long window on one side and a screen with a keyboard on the other.
inside the window was the most buttifle weapon she had ever layd eyes on.
It looked like a Sniper at first glance, but upon seeing that where the zoomable scope should have been, a odd shortend one.
it had a dark gray almost black body with white and blue stripes.
Midnight walked up to cabnet and looked it over.
She taped one of the keys on the keyboard with her index claw, which after a quick beep the screen turned on.
Experimental H.A.I.R Guss Rifle Ready...
Fire Ruby autharisation required...
The text roled by, before being replaced by the outline of a hand.
Fire Ruby? where had she heard that before, she ponderd before rememebring.
Stonehold had been the one who made and attached her prostetic, when he had explained about it, he had said that it was powerd by a Fire Ruby.
Going on a hunch, she carfuly placed her hand on the screen.
the screen lit up brightly for a moment before dieing away.
A feminen voice emmited form the cabnet "Fire Ruby dettected" it said "Acess granted!"
the glass began sliding aside, along with some clamps what were holding the weapon in place.
"Empathy" she sait to the little filly "Could you jump off me please?"
"Kay" Empathy responded and jumped off and sat on the ground next to her.
Midnight stood up on her hind legs and grabed the rifle by the barrle and pulled it from its holding.
Being in the marines, she had learned to be able to walk on her hind legs and fire with her hoofs, but with the help of her new hand, she could use the human weapon with ease.
She held onto the guns handle and looked down the sight, stedying the rifle with her hoof.
when she looked through it, everything she saw turned into a shade of blue except for Empathy and their Promethean Eascorts, which glowed bright yellow.
she could also see there skelingtons, which were white through the scope.
Other then that it seemed like an odinary Acog scope.
"Cooool" both Emapthy and Midnght said at the same time.
The Screen on the cabnet blinked on agian with more text explaining about the weapon.
The H.A.I.R (Hyper. Anti. Infantry. Rifle) Gussrifle is a semi-automatic rifle with an advanced F.O.F (Friend or foe) scope which detects wether anything living that is seen through it is hostile of friendly.
Friendlys are highlighted Yellow while Hostiles a Red, unknowns are white, the scop will be able to go through up to three meters of walling wether it is metal of stone.
The super adcelirated high calaber round that the Gussrifle fires can penetrate even the thickest armour with ease and can even pirce Xenomorph Queen carapace in a single fully charged shot.
"That would have been useful two weeks ago"
Becuase of an experimental anr rare metioraite core, this weapon does not require reloading and will regenerate the clip after a 5 second recharge.
haveing a Rate of fire 50 rounds per minuite firing rounds at 50miles per hour, the Gus if the pinical of UMSC tecnalagy.
She finished reading the text and smiled, this thing had unlimited ammo, could pirce any armour and has a scope that could tell if somone or somthing dosnt like you.
"Shame about the name though" she said and she pulled a strap out form the cabnet, attached it to her new rifle and slung the weapon over her sholder and let it rest against her side.
The Promenthans had chosen their weapons and were clutching them in there hands waiting for Midnight to join them.
"Nice weapon" the lead one commentede as she made her way to them, empathy back on her back "It suits you".
She nodded her thanks and walked out the door and into the dark with her escorts in tow, felling whole again with the reasuring wieght of the Gussrifle at her side.
"so what are you going to call it?"
"hu?"
"Your rifle" empathy clerafide "You cant call it Hair"
Midnight scratched her chin with her claw, then responded.
"I'll Call it Xeno Bane"
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After climbing up the elevator shaft (or flying in Midnight and Empathys case) they made there way to the Hanger, taking reroutes everyonce and a while where the path was blocked by crates and other dibrie that the Marines had placed there to block off the halls.
when they reached the Main hall leading into the Hanger, Midnight cursed as the sentry guns opend fire on them.
she quickly pushed Empathy into cover and dived in after her.
Empathy was laying on the ground, her hoofs over her head.
"Why are they shooting at us?" she shouted over the gunfire.
"Automated sentrys... they'll attack anything that doesnt have an I.D tag" she told her "And I lost mine in the fall"
She grabed her radio and fliped it one "Staff-Sargent Endless Midnight calling sentry operators" she yelled whut those Fucken sentrys down before they tare us to shreds!"
"Sargent we have three Xeno signitures at your position" someone responded "If I turn the sentrys off they'll get in here"
"There friendlys!" she yelled at him "Now turn those guns off before I send a bullet up your ass!"
"Ok OK I'm turning them off!"
A second later the shooting stopped.
She leaned out form cover and looked down the corridoor, seeing the Sentrys lazer targeters turn off.
"Ok guys... I think its safe to come out the vents now" she said as she pulled Empathy back onto her back.
the three Promethean guards slid down from the open vents and fell into line with Midnight, who began making her way to the now opening doors.
A brown earth pony creeped out with his gun pointed down the hall.
his eyes widend as he saw the Prometheans walking next to her.
"Bloody hell, You've got those things trained right?"
She heard a hiss form her side "We're not things" she heard the Promethan growl mentaly, making the Marine backpedle.
"Wha... Did it...he..."
She patted him with her left hoof "Don't try to think about it kid" she advised.
He nodded and rushed inside as she followed him inside.
as she did so, more ponys rushed to the entrance from the makeshift camp to see the commotion.
A thought came to Midnights mind and quickly checked if her hunch was right.
"Hey" she called in her mind "You three hear me?"
"We'll that clears up some questions, are you reading my thoughs or am I projecting them?" she asked.
"You are projecting them, you porbably gained that ability from your Promethan heriatage"
"Well while were waiting for the welcoming commite to arrive, mind telling me your names?"
"of course not, my comrad to my right is QuickSilver-"
"Howdy"
"to my left is Ursur Major"
"Charmed
"And I am f security of our comunity"
Midnight looked over her shoulder and looked at the three in detail for the first time since they had meet outside the Promethean zone.
Bullseye was an earth pony breed Promethan due to the lack of wings or a horn