//------------------------------// // Welcome To Mars // Story: Red Faction: Equestria // by Ribe_FireRain //------------------------------// Red Faction: Equestria ''He said I was Red Faction.'' ''Like it or not, Mason, you are now.'' *** *** *** My name is Alec Mason. I came to Mars from Earth to help out with the operation the civilians were running. That is until I found out there was a war unravelling in the process. The group I became a part of, the Red Faction, were unlike anything I have seen. Ordinary people and friends and families fighting beside each other against the ones who now own Mars: The EDF. My brother, Dan Mason joined them not long ago. Of course, that didn't last all that long. The EDF killed him the day I first came to Mars to help. From that day forward, I joined the Red Faction. Not like I had a choice...but what else could I do? I wanted revenge, and revenge I got. One day, I was in Parker, talking to our weapons engineer, Samanya, when one of the Red Faction members came running in, blood and sweat matting their clothes and hair, telling us about an EDF assault on a small house just a short ways east of the safehouse. So grabbing my assault rifle and sledgehammer, I went after the EDF. Oh, and took my car that I had Samanya put machine guns on front. At the location of the assault, I was could see several small EDF cars outside, troops on guns and turrets, armed with Peacekeepers and assault rifles. Thee building wasn't too big, and for that I was thankful. It usually meant not too many EDF, and that sometimes changes when they get reinforcements to come after us. Leaving my car behind, I took out my assault rifle and advanced forward. By time I was close enough, I saw a couple troops escorting out a few people with their guns to their backs, the families hands raised in the air as they slowly walked out before being placed on the ground on their chests. Bringing my rifle up and aiming for the soldier's head, I gently squeezed the trigger, the projectile going straight through the back of his head and out his eye socket, shattering his orange visor and splattering blood across the floor as he fell down, the others immediately being alerted by my presence. The soldier next to the one I put down started firing on me, the bullets missing me by mere inches and battering the metal crate I was hiding behind. Bullet by bullet, mag by mag, I dropped them. In total I had killed about fifteen soldiers. I moved for the restrained family and carefully undid their bindings. Once each of them was freed, I allowed them to take my car and head back to the safehouse. Looking back to the house, I checked it for any more soldiers or civilians, but after finding none, I went back outside and found myself a seat on a dead EDF soldier's torso. Placing my assault rifle beside me, I looked up at the dusky-orange sky. When I was about to go back, a bright purple flash erupted before me, and thinking the blast was from an enemy's gauss rifle, I instantly grabbed my assault rifle and pointed it in the direction of the sudden eruption of blinding light. When the flash subsided and my vision wasn't white as a sheet, I saw six silhouettes in front of me. When they came into focus, I could of sworn my heart stopped. There, in front of me were six ponies. Two unicorns, two pegassi and two normal-looking ponies. (for the most-part, anyway...). I must of been staring in disbelief at them for hours at least, and they looked back at me, looking like they wanted to scream, and scream they did. I too would of screamed, but I was too deeply into disbelief at what I was seeing. I put the rifle down, still staring and finally asked: ''What the hell are you?'' At my question the purple unicorn with a two-toned purple and pink mane looked at me with wide eyes. ''You talk?!'' She exclaimed almost as if she is in fear - which she probably was. ''You talk?!'' Alright, getting a bit creeped out, now... ''Either I'm dreaming or I'm going mad!'' ''I think we're the ones going mad! I haven't seen anything like you! What are you, anyway?'' The rainbow-maned, cyan Pegasus asked me in a raspy voice. ''I'm a human, and I could ask you the same thing.'' ''We're ponies. Haven't you seen a pony before? I actually thought it was obvious what we were?'' The purple unicorn asked, this time seeming more comfortable. Before I could answer her, another EDF car came flying around the bend, the gunner on top intent on killing me. The truck halted with a screech of the tires in front of us and the troops inside, excluded the gunner on top got out, pointing their guns on me. ''Alec Mason, you are under arrest! Surrender now, or we will open fire!'' One of them shouted at me. Grabbing my assault rifle, I pointed it at them, ready to fire. I looked to the ponies who now had an even more scared look on their faces, especially the yellow pegasus who was cowering behind the cyan pegasus. ''Get out of here, you lot. Move it, quick!'' I ordered to them, and almost as quickly as they moved, the EDF fired on them, and thankfully none of their bullets hit them. Quick as I could, I started picking them off, and as I did so, the gunner on top managed to hit me in the arm and chest a couple of times. It hurt to say the least, but I was at least thankful that Samanya had armoured my clothing while I was at the base. The first one I killed was the gunner on the turret, the bullet going through his neck. The remaining four were a tough bunch to kill, but I got them in the end. Bleeding from my wounds, I clenched my chest, trying to apply pressure, despite the pain the bullets inside me send blasting through my body. Turning to see the ponies hiding in the building, I saw them look at my wounds and the dead EDF, and it wasn't hard to tell they were concerned. Going towards them, the yellow pegasus asked me, ''Are you alright? You're bleeding...'' ''Yeah, I'm fine. Just a scratch, I'll be alright.'' I reassured her, still clutching my bullet wounds with my now blood-soaked hand. ''Don't worry about me.'' ''You...you killed them...why?'' The purple unicorn asked. ''They are EDF. Things here are bad, alright? They were going to kill a family who live here, so I came, killed the EDF and freed them. Welcome to Mars, ponies. Its a rough life.'' Walking away, I took a seat in the EDF's car and motioned for the ponies to come join me. ''Come on. I should probably get you all back to the safehouse. We can talk some more there.''