Prologue

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Aliens: Equestrian Marines Prologue
She was standing on a cliff over looking an alien sea, the moon large over its horizan.
she couldn't remember how she had got there, or where she was for that matter. There was a grave... when she looked at it she felt a guilt and sadness, she didn't know why.
the name on the headstone was obscured by the snow that also litters the ground.
She looked around her, taking in her surroundings for the first time.
behind her was a forest going on as far as she could see, the trees were covered by the falling snow which was falling lightly. The sky was clear of any clouds, allowing her full view of the stars above.
there was a time she was a filly when she would look at those stars and just wonder... what wonders did those stars hide... now she only wondered what nightmares they hid.
she heard a rustling behind her and spun around just in time for a dark figure to leap at her with startling speed.
there was little time to anything but raise her leg over her face to shield herself, but when she lifted it up, instead of the dark midnight blue of her leg and hoof, was the gleaming silver of metal leg with clawed paw instead of a hoof.
She knew what the figure was, she had fought them on many times before. A Xenomorph warrior.
It leaped at her and...

Chapter 1: Beginnings

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Aliens: Equestrian Marines Chapter 1
Story by ShadowLeomus
Edited by Jandotrimmer (fulhamr)
"Beginnings"
/'Equus, U.S.C. Salura orbiting Harmony station.
700 hours E.S.T'\
Endless Midnight woke up with a start, checking her foreleg. "Still there," she breathed deeply "Thank goddess".
She looked around at her room, which was pretty barren despite the fact she had been living there for almost a month now. She had kept it like that because she liked the plain look, but it didn't remind Midnight of her room at the palace. Shakily she got up out of her bunk and walked to her bathroom.
Her room was pretty basic, a small bedroom/living room with a kitchen area in the corner with a cooker and sink as well as a small bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet.
"Why is it always the same dream over and over again" she mumbled to herself as she ran some cold water and splashed it over her face. she let it run down her muzzle and into the sink bowl, then looked at herself in the mirror, she had a Midnight blue coat and a light grey mane with white streaks.
She was also an alicorn.
She sneaked a look at her leg again, even though she knew it had been a dream she couldn't shake the feeling that it shouldn't be ignored, at the way she felt with the claw like leg, it felt so... Natural.
she shook off the thought with a shiver.
Just then her apartment's video phone went off. She grabbed a towel from the side and walked quickly over to the video phone.
But before she did she stopped and Cursed, she had forgotten to put on her disguise.
Quickly she drew the energy she needed to power the spell. In a flash the magnificent alicorn was replaced with a small unicorn.
She straightened her mane and hit the receive button.
"Hey Wolfe, how's it going!" A cheerful voice said over the speakers before the pony's face was shown.
Midnight was nicknamed Wolfe by her Squad mates because of her amber, wolf-like eyes.
He was brown earth pony stallion with a yellow mane and brown eyes, His accent giving away his cow pony origins.
Midnight groaned
"Not now Oats, I've just woken up" She said flatly, rubbing her temples.
The earth pony frowned
"Ya okay Midnight?" he asked "Ya look like you've had a rough night".
"You could say that. I'll tell you at breakfast" she said stifling a yawn "So what's up?"
He face hoofed, just remembering why he had called.
"Sarge wants everyone to meet in the mess hall for a briefing, I think we've got our next assignment" he said seriously.
"Great!" she said in fake excitement "Let me guess... another bug hunt?".
"No Idea, Sarge just told me to get everyone together, you're the last one as a matter of fact"
"Saving the best for last I see?".
Oats' reaction was priceless
"Wha! Oh no, I was just, uh, Leaving ya for strategic, um, stuff"
Midnight laughed
"I'll see you later, Deck Seven, Mess Hall, 900 hours, Right?"
Oats, still recuperating, just nodded.
"OK then, later partner"
She ended the call.
Midnight walked back to her closet, pulled out her uniform and began getting dressed, burying the dream as far back into her mind as possible.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
/'Deck 7, Mess hall, Two hours later'\
When Midnight entered the Mess, it was packed.
looking around for her squad, She heard Oats voice in the background, "Hey Midnight"
She turned to see the Brown Earth Pony waving to her
"Over here!"
She waved back and went over to the serving stations and grabbed some toast, an apple and some coffee and made her way to her squad.
The ponies of Viper platoon took up most of the tables at the back near the portholes.
She took a seat next to Oats.
"Sarge here yet?" She asked.
"Nope," said the Blue Pegasus next to her
"But I guess Goldroots is trying to be fashionably late" Trevor joked.
"Knowing him he's probably being held up by the captain again"
Midnight heard a pony on the other end of the table say
"You guys remember the last time?" Everypony laughed with the unicorn "I think he's still feeling that buck" Trevor said between laughs.
Oats looked at her, concerned.
"Hey Midnight, what's up?" He asked, "You looked like you just came outta a nightmare".
Midnight groaned and buried her face into her hooves.
"You could say that" she said grumpily, remembering the dream.
"It's the same dream every night and I'm starting to get the feeling that it's somehow important"
"You know," a Pegasus she recognised as Buttercup said "You've been telling us you've been having these dreams but you haven't told us what happens in them" She leaned in "so spill it"
Midnight sighed.
"Alright, but you're going to say it's nothing," she took a deep breath. "I'm standing on a cliff, sea sloshing around calmly below, and I'm looking at a tombstone but because it's snowing, I don't know who's grave it is"
"Seems harmless enough" the Pegasus next to her she recognized as Dusty said.
Dusty was their Cheyenne Dropship which was lovingly named 'The Crash Can'.
"That's just how it starts," Midnight continued "I feel like I know who the grave belongs to but, I just can't remember who. Then I look up and see a ship crashing into the sea, its the same class as the Salura but I can't see if it is because it's covered by ruby flames. By now, she had caught all of Viper Team's attention.
Stopping, Midnight drank some of her coffee, "Then I hear a rustling behind me, and as I turn to see a Xeno leaps at me" She shook her head, "And that's not even the scariest thing. When I raise my hoof up to shield myself" She acted what she was saying, "Instead of my leg, there's a metal one with a clawed paw instead of a hoof"
Everypony as silent, then Buttercup spoke up.
"How long have you been having these dreams?" she asked slowly.
"Every night, for at least a month"
Oats, Buttercup and Dusty exchanged looks.
"Midnight, the last time you had dreams like this, it was about a Xeno Stalker ambush on a jungle planet"
"Two weeks later we crash on Helliosa, a jungle planet infested by Xenos-"
"- and your dream helped you warn us abo..."
"About the Stalkers in the trees" Midnight finished, frowning "you think this might be like that time? She asked.
"Ah don't know, but ah think ya should tell the Sarge about this" Oats told her.
"Speaking of the Sarge" Trevor said standing up "Attention! Sergeant on Deck!"
Everypony stood at attention as Goldroot walked in.
The old veteran Earth pony was dusty grey, with a large scar down his face, over one of his muddy brown eyes. This veteran was a real badass, serving in major operations from the Evacuation of Risa seven to the Extermination of the Yagma hive world. He'd lived more battles against the Xenomorphs than anyone in the Battalion.
He saluted back.
"At ease" Waiting for everyone to be seated, he began "Okay Ladies, listen up! Two hours ago the Captain received our new assignment".
He looked everypony in the eye "We're to deliver a batch of live Xenos to a research Station on Ios" a chorus of groans and moans followed the announcement.
"Yes I know. It sucks but that's the job, the Xenos will be in cryo, so we'll be in hyper-sleep since it's a 3 month journey through an uncharted sector of space"
He looked at Midnight
"Corporal Midnight. You and Lance-Corporal Oats will oversee the loading of those bugs," He smiled "And for the rest of you, Drinks are on me!".
Everypony cheered.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
/'Observation Deck, 2400 hours E.S.T'\
Midnight was alone on the Observation Deck, looking at the Planet below. She liked to come here at this time of night and just think.
She had the news on, letting the reports roll.
"On other news, it has been a year and a half since the yet to be crowned Princess Endless Midnight went missing, As always, we ask for any information regarding her. If you do please call the-" she turned it off.
Midnight chuckled "Even after this long Twilight's still looking for me" she shook her head "Not that I'm surprised, even when she was raising me she was determind when it came to it".
She looked at Equius, a gem the in the Darkness of the void, and the reason she had ran away to join the Marines.
Her Radio crackled to life in her ear.
"Midnight, you still up?" It was Buttercup.
She tapped her ear bloom "yeah, I'm up, what's going on?"
"It's nothing, I just got a bad feeling about those Xenos we brought on board."
"I know what you mean, they make me," Midnight struggled to find the right word "Nervous"
"Agreed" Buttercup said quickly "Something's just not right about them"
"I'm sure it's nothing, I checked them myself and they look like they're quite frozen" Midnight said softly to reassure her. "Don't worry"
"Okay, thanks for that Midnight"
"No problem, Buttercup" she said happily "Get some sleep solder,
you're a part of Viper 2-3 now, which makes you my responsibility, plus it'll be the only natural sleep you'll be having for 3 months".
"Alright, G'night Midnight"
"Night, Buttercup" The radio cut off.
Midnight lay back and spread her wings, she'd locked the doors and turned off the cameras so she could switch back to her true form.
The spell was a special one that her mentor/carer Twilight Sparkle had developed after studying a changeling. Midnight technically shouldn't have learned it but when you're 5 and living with a book worm, you tend to pick up a few things.
She looked at the planet where Cantalot would be and sighed.
"Good night, mum".
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
/'Equus, Cantralot Royal palace.'\
Twilight Sparkle looked up from her book and looked out the window.
"Midnight?"
Hopefully no mistakes now...

Chapter 2 (Unedited)

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Chapter 2 Cold Awaking

In hyper-sleep you don't dream, everypony knows that.
But here she was. Dreaming.
She was relieving a memory from her childhood, back when she had lived on Equus in the palace.
this memory was of her in her room reading.
what could she say, when your raised by a book worm you tend to end up reading allot too.
she heard a knock at he door followed by it opening.
"Midnight?"
Filly Midnight watched the pony's shadow come further into the room.
"Midnight Are you in here?"
Midnight climbed out of her hiding space quietly, trying not to get the attention of the pony.
Quietly she hovered along ceiling until she was just above the pony.
then she let her self drop onto the pony's back.
"HI Twi!" she said happyly.
The Alicorn jumped in surprise "Midnight! you scared me" she ruffled Midnight mane "I don't know where you get your energy dear".
Filly Midnight giggled "Look at what I'm reading Twilight" she showed her, her book.
The alicorn picked up the book and read the title out load "The Battle of shattered Bones" she looked up at the filly alicorn "Midnight how did you get this?"
"It was in the library silly" she said as if it was nothing "I've read all the battles, the Liberation of halys world, Evacuation of Typhon-"
Twilight raised her hoof to silence the filly "OK OK but that's not what I meant" she lifted the book up "These books were in a locked room, how did you get them".
Midnight shuffled nervously "I know you told me to not read them but I really like them so I sneak in through the vents and chose one and get out before anyone knows I'm there".
Twilight looked at her in shock "But how do you get them without triggering the anti-theft spell?".
Midnight was more happy to speak about that "You always leave your books laying around and every once and a while I read them" she admitted "you left the spell out one day so I just made a counter spell that tricked the spell into thinking I was borrowing it".
Looking at her Mentor, she could see that she was impressed "You know... no one has ever been able to do that before".
"It wasn't that hard"
"But still, in the morning You will go and take this back OK" Twilight said sternly.
Midnight looked at her sadly "Are you going to stop me from reading them?"
"Midnight your too young to be rea-" she stopped as Midnight looked at her with her award winning puppy eyes.
Twilight try'd to resist it but faltered after a few moments with a sigh.
"Fine, you can read them" immediately after, she had the young filly wrapped around her neck hugging her "Thankyouthankyouthankyou" She said overjoy'd.
"Can't breath" Twilight whisperer comically.
after a minuet of this, Midnight felt a warmness as Twilight lifted her off her using her magic "OK you little rascal... Time for bed".
She set the filly down on he bed and pulled the covers over her.
Another figure stood at the doorway.
"OK, me and aunty Celly have some important work to do" walked over to the door and looked back "Night My little pony" she said.

____________________________________________

Midnight woke with a start, what the hell was that.
She rose up with a groan, trying to remember where she was.
"Raise and shine filly's" somepony shouted.
then it all came rushing back, where she was, why she was there, everything.
Midnight began to clime out of her cryo tube, looking around.
most of the cryo tubes around her were empty, every platoon was out except for her's.
Midnight checked the date, it had only been a month since they had set off, why were they being woken up early?
The pony who had been shouting had been Goldroot "for any of you who are having trouble remembering anything you are part Viper platoon of the E.S.S Salura".
Midnight went over to where the rest of the platoon was standing, listening to the Sargent.
"I've got good news and some bad news" he said, gettinhg straight to the point "you wont be spending the rest of the trip in hyper-sleep".
Oats, who looked like Crap, stepped forwards "Whats to good news?"
"that was the good news son" the Old Sargent looked straight into Midnight eyes "The bad news is that we have a level 12 Xeno infestation on board".
Nervously whispers followed the announcement.
"We're the last platoon to be woken and the situation is grave indeed" he smiled grimly "So lock and load!"
"Hoora!".

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Armory, deck 2, 20 minuets later.

"Pass me a clip"
"Here you go, catch"
The armory was abuzz with activity, ponys pulling pulse rifles or shotguns from there racks and attaching them to there battle saddles.
Midnight looked at a collection of weapons that lined the racks.
She felt like a filly in a candy store.
"Will you just pick something" she heard someone said behind her.
She turned around to find Oats hefting a Smartgun "Your worst then my sister!".
She eyed the large gun "Hmm seems like your going with the biggest gun in the armory".
"No, sadly they wouldn't let me strap a atomizer cannon to my side, but-" he shrugged "what can I do".
Midnight rolled her eyes "well while your playing with your big toys, Ill be using something more subtle".
She pulled a pulse rifle from the rack with her magic.
she inspected it twice before nodding, satisfied and placed it in a holster on her back.
"Alright Marines, shopping times over" Goldroot shouted "Talon and Wolf platoons need some backup".
everyone began filing out of the room, with Midnight at the back.
just as she was about to leave the last rack, something caught her eye.
A complete rack of Incinerator Flamethrowers.
quickly she bolted over and grabbed one, plus spare canisters of fuel, and ran out.
out side, the squads were all lined up in groups.
"Midnight... A word".
She spun around to find Goldroot standing behind her.
Looking at him, she knew what is was about.
"Yes sir"
the moved down the hallway, away form prying eyes.
"Midnight... you remember that dream you told me about?" he asked, looking around.
"Yes, and yes I think that the situation we are in currently may be to do with it"
He shook his head "If I wasn't on Hellios, then I would think you were crazy" he paused "But then we'd all be dead by now".
He cleared her thought "I have a job for your team, Captain Bright Lance went missing a few days ago and I want you to keep an eye out for him".
"Yes Sir!"
As she turned to go, Goldroot put a hoof on her shoulder "One more thing... keep an eye on my daughter corporal, shes all I got left..."
Hearing this rare show of affection stunned her, the Sargent never spoke openly about his feeling, even about his Daughter.
"You don't need to tell me twice Sir" she assured him "Buttercups one of my closest friends and I'm not about to let some Xeno harm her or any one under my command"
"Also I am promoting you to Sargent Midnight, and giving you command over all of Viper Platoon" he said, pulling out a set of Sargent pips and pining them on her Armour.
She was about to say something when her radio crackled to life/
"This is barricade 3! were under heavy assult and need su...Ahhhh-" the pony's crys was cut off.
"Get moving Sargent, you've got work to do".
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barricade 3.

She arrived at the barricade to find that the attack was over, but there were still pones being carried to the medics.
one of the wounded pony's stopped her "Sir, they took seven others with them deeper into the hive" he said.
she neeled down "Who did they take?" she asked.
"A few from Talon Platoon, and one of yours... someponys named buttercup..." he started coughing violently as the medic took him away.
Midnight, shocked at this news imeadietly began putting together a team to rescue the lost pony's and were quickly off down the way the Xenos had fled.
then they came to a door, which was ajar.
using her magic she open the door to reveal...

Chapter 3 (Unedited)

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Chapter 3: Into Hell

The hall beyond the door had been converted into part of a Xeno hive.
"OK, keep an eye on those shadows" she orderd "And watch the walls, I don't fancy an tail blade in the back".
The room was very unsettling, it gave off a sickly aura that made her sick to the core.
Oats walked over to one of the walls and felt it, quickly recoiling with slime dripping from his hoof "Blech! this stuffs nasty" he flicked the slim off "When I think these bugs can't get any more disgusting..." "Shhh!" Trevor put a hoof to her mouth to silence the squad "Listen".
they all strained there ears to hear what Trevor had heard.
After a moment they heard it, somepony calling out.
"Help! get me out of here!"
Midnight raised her rifle in front of her "OK. Double time it!"
They began advancing down the hall, quickly but carefully.
As they got closer to the cry's, Midnight's Motion tracker began clicking.
pulling it out, she saw six signals pop up on the tracker.
"I've got friendly's, Wolfs. Talons and Vipers".
They came up to a door which was covered with the black biomass, she try'd forcing open to no avail.
"Pyro, Door"
"thought you'd never ask" the red unicorn brushed past her and pulled out his Fusion cutter with his mouth "o'll ave iss open in a mo" he said with the cutter in his mouth.
Sparks began flying as he cut through the bone like growth and at the door behind it.
once the growth had been removed, the door hissed open, showing them what they all feared.
there were pones hanging on the walls, being healed by the same Black growth that coated the walls.
She truned to her team "Sweep and clear, teams of two".
they sweeped into the room, checking all the over the room, making sure that it was empty of anything with no fur.
Once that was done, they checked on the pones hanging on the walls, the one who had been calling out was struggling to get free.
"Thank goddess, cut me out of here"
"Buttercup? that you?" Midnight asked as she approached.
The Blue pony turned to face her as she approached, still struggling against the disgusting growth that healed her "Yea, thanks for coming for us".
Not bothering with her cutter, she used her magic to rip the bony mass off Buttercup, who dropped with as thump.
She rubbed her Flank, having landed on it.
Midnight took her sidearm out and handed it over to the pony "You alright?".
Buttercup nodded "Yea, but can you use a X.I.D spell on me, I want to make sure that none of those little buggers are in me".
Midnight did as she was asked and her horn glowed blue, then she touched the pones chest and let the spell do its job.
immediately, Buttercups chest became ghostly as the spell did its work, allowing Midnight a look inside her friend. after looking for a bit, she nodded in confirmation "Your clear, probably got knocked out when that thing nabbed you is all".
Buttercups chest returned to normal as the spell wore off, just as Oats called.
"Midnight! you'd better get over here"
She and Buttercup shared a worried glance, and ran off in the direction of Oats.
he was standing with Pyro in-front of another hanging pony.
"It's Captain Lance... he's been hived"
The pony hanging was indeed the captain.
she used the X.I.D spell on him to confirm what she had been told.
Inside him, a serpent like creature was moving around, it was nearing it's final stage and She doubted that the Earth pony had much time left.
He coughed and looked down "Corporal Midnight?"
"Sargent now" She said saluting "Sir, I'm sorry bu-"
"I know already... I can feel it in me, how many of my men survived?"
"Were still cutting down the others now but I'd say... 20 including my ponies, Staff Sargent Goldroot sent us".
Nodded Grimacing "So the old mules still kicking eh" she nodded "Good he's now the highest ranking officer on this ship" he wiggled his his hoof free and took off his command pips "here-" he handed them over to Midnight "Give him these... Staff Sargent Midnight".
Midnight blinked a few times, Did she just get promoted... to a Staff Sargent!
Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint beeping from her motion tracker, she didn't take it out though, she knew what it meant.
"Everypony grab any who are still breathing and get to the safe zone!" she orderd.
"Staff Sargent... wait..."
She turned and stared at the Captain "Yes sir?"
He had managed to wiggle his way out of his confines and was claiming out.
"Give me all your explosives, I'll buy you some time".
She looked at the Captain in shock, knowing what he was planing "No sir, I wont let yo-"
"Don't argue Sargent, you know just as I do that I can't be saved and I need this chance to earn redemtion"
"Redemption? for what?" she thought, he must have guessed what she was thinking.
"This is my falt, all of this" he admitted "If I hadn't taken this assignment then we wouldnt be in this mess" he grimiced clutching his chest "Please..."
She looked at him for a bit, not saying anything, then pulled every explosive she had out of her pouch.
"Here" she handed them over "And sir, in my eyes you have nothothing to be redeemed for, if you hadnt had taken this assignment then some other Battalion would have gotten it"
With that she ran off to meet up with her marines.

____________________________________________

Lance watched her go.
He could hear the hisses and the tapping of the Xenomorphs as they coming closer.
Lance leaned against the wall, grunting from the effort.
the thing in his chest moved slightly, causing him momentary discomfort before it settled again.
Lance drew the Explosives closer to him, the amount of the devices that midnight had given him would defiantly leave an impression.
He primed one as the first of the nightmarish creatures came into view, they had a pony like appearance, but that was where the simultaneity's ended
they swarmed along walls and ceilings, a few stopping in front of him, looking t him curiously.
the Explosive in his hoof beeped in increasing pitch and speed as it readied itself to blow.
Disputed the pain, he smiled.
"See you in hell" were his last words as his world went white.

____________________________________________

Midnight Heard and felt the explosion rock the ship, knowing that Lance had succeeded in his last act.
But she couldn't mourn him... not yet, not when she still had Pones to look out for.
"Double time it marines!" she shouted "All he did was buy us some time, let make the most of it".
many pony's were being carried along by her marines, being too weak to walk or too injured to.
finally the welcoming sight of the sentry guns and the barricad beyond came into view, the pones she had left to defend quickly turning off the turrets before they opened fire on the incoming pony's.
they passed the makeshift gate into he safe zone, medics rushing over and taking away the injured, Along with them came Goldroot.
"Report Sargent!"
She saluted before telling him what had happened, adding her second promotion and handing over the Captain pips that Lance had asked her to give Goldroot.
the Old veteran nodded grimly, taking the pips and looking at them "Poor kid, had his whole Carrier ahead of him" he turned his attention back to Midnight "Did he cause the Decompression we felt earlier?".
She nodded "Yes, he took all my explosives and bought us some time".
"Hell of a way to go" he chuckled "Kid probably took out a good portion of the Xeno's on board".
She shuffled uncomfortably, remembering the Captains last words.
The new Captain caught on that something was wrong "Something on your mind Sargent?".
"Before we left him... he blamed himself for all this... said that if he hadn't taken this assignment then none of us would been in this mess"
"He always did like to take the weight of the universes problems on his shoulders..." he said sympathetically "He was good like that".
he began to walk off "now if you'll excuse me Staff-Sargent-" he purposely used her full rank "-I have allot of thinking to do"
She watched him go, just as a pony shouted from one of the barricades "We got incoming!".
Midnight Rushed toward the barricade and claimed on top of it to see what the lookout had seen.
there were already 12 other pony's already on the barricade, weapons pointed down the large corridor.
everypony's motion trackers began beeping as the xenos came closer.
"Flare out!" said a large red earth pony next to her as he chucked the glowing flare down the corridor.
the light from the flare showed about 20 or 30 xenos of varying sizes, all rushing at them.
Bursts of light filled the hallway as she and the pones with her fired on the approaching swarm, soon the auto turrets added their fire to the mix as the Xenos came into range.
many were torn to shreds by the torrents of fire coming from the pony position.
Soon, explosions tore through their ranks also as a few pones used their under slung grenade launchers on the approaching swarm.
Midnight registered another pony claiming up onto the barricade, quickly followed by a long barrel entering her vision, pointed at he oncoming Xenos.
She turned to see Buttercup, holding the bulky body of a long-bolt sniper rifle.
she looked at her friend quizzing.
"What?" she said "I do more damage with Snipers then with a pulse rife".
To prove her point, she took aimed the weapon down range, held her breath and pulled the trigger.
The Ear busting Crack of the Sniper was quickly followed by alien cry's of pain a hisses, the shot had gone through almost 9 of the Xenos, killing 6 of them and wounding the rest.
Buttercup cocked her rifle, expelling the spent round, smiling smugly,
After a few more minutes of fighting, they finished off the last of the Creatures were reloading the now empty sentry's, when Midnight radio crackled to life.
"Midnight meet me in ops" Goldroot said over the com "I'm calling a meeting with the other Squad leaders"
"On my way sir!" she said before shuting the radio off.
"What was that about?" Buttercup asked.
She shook her head "I don't know" she made her way towards ops "But Its probably not good".

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Ops, a few minutes later.

"WE'RE WHAT!" one of the Sargent's shouted.
"We're abandoning ship" Goldroot repeated, plainly "We're too few to take back this ship and after that last attack, my guess is that the Matriarch is getting ready for her end game"
The Sargent's looked at him in disbelief, the Sargent who had spoken up earlier stepped forward "But we can take them, if we go for the queen now we can-"
"Can do what?" Goldroot snapped "Die?".
he stepped towards the pony threateningly "How many pones did we have when this all started? 700?" he asked dangerously "And how many are left? hmm?"
The pony recoiled in shock "1...120 s...sir" he stuttered.
Goldroot took another threatening step towards him "And how, pray tell do you expect to reach that bitch when not even 3 whole platoons couldn't even get 1 decks closer to her?"
the pony looked like he was about to argue, but sat down and looked down in defeat.
Goldroot smiled in triumph and continued his briefing "We will evac vie Dropship, the closest hanger hold Vipers 1 to 3 and are fully fueled and ready, once we get off the ship, we will head to these coordinates" he brought up a map of the space they were in on the holo-projector "there is a metal mass out there, if were lucky it could be an abandoned station or even a passing ship" she looked around "Also we will have a distraction to keep the xenos busy".
the hologram shifted to shipping manifests and schematics of... combat androids!.
Midnight looked at the hologram in confusion "Sir? what are Combat Android's doing on-board?" she asked.
"Turns out someone was smuggling them to Ios for the lab there, and they are conveniently stored right in the queens chamber".
Anything anypony was about to say was cut off by the Captain raising his hoof "Now I know what your thinking, if they are in the queens chamber why not get them to kill the queen?" he asked "We can't because they are unarmed and will be no match for her, they will attack the queen but of coarse the queen and her guard will destroy them all, but it will give us a chance to get to the dropships with minimal casualties because a large amount of the Xenos will go running to aid the queen, leaving a small number for us to fight our way through"
There were a few grumbles, but in the end, everypony agreed that this was the right course of action.
"Brief your squads and get some rest, we make our move tomorrow at 1100 hours" he saluted "Dismissed!"

Chapter 4 (Unedited)

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Chapter 4: Hell at her heels
After informing Viper Platoon of Goldroots plan, Midnight had gone too her room both to rest and pack what few things of value she owned.
Once she closed and locked the door, she flopped down onto the bed.
Lucky thing about living on a ship like this, if there is a Xenomorph infestation, then all the ship's ventilation ducts are sealed with thick blast doors.
And the best thing about them is that they can't use there own blood (which is highly Corrosive) to melt through because the metal used was special one that was designed to be unaffected by the blood.
Midnight rolled onto her back, letting her disguise drop and her true form appear.
"Life... Sucks".
she spread her wings in goddess knows how long, bones clicking from being held in the same place for a month.
she looked at the ceiling for a while, lost in thought.
Her mind had been over loaded by the events of the day, from waking up from cryo to the death of Bright Lance, to her being promoted... Twice, that had to break some sort of record.
after laying there for a while, she got up and went over to her draws, and pulled a small box out.
the box was made of rosy chestnut, trimmed with gold, it had been magically sealed, and the only one who knew how to open it was her.
her horn glowed as she began the spell, and gently, she touched the box.
the box glowed for a moment, then opened.
inside were several items, the first she pulled out was a newspaper article titled "Mysterious alicorn filly found at gates to royal palace".
there was also a picture of Princess Twilight Sparkle holding a small Midnight blue bundle of fur.
That had been of course, Endless Midnight when she had been a filly.
Midnight sighed, even to this day she didn't know who her parents had been, even with the resources of the royal guard.
the second object was a photo, taken a year before she had ran away to join the Marines.
it was of her and Twilight posing for a camera outside the palace.
both of them had been grinning ear to ear, having had a good day.
She smiled at the memory, when she had found her, the princess had been the closest thing to a mother to Midnight.
the the rest of the items were just some bits and bobs.
She placed the objects back into the box and resealed it, leaving out the picture which she folded up and put it under her armour.
It wasn't a surprise that her special talent had been Xeno killing, she always was interested in the Marines.
When she was little she had read about all the battles, even the ones she wasn't meant to know about, secretly Midnight had always wanted to join the marines.
She knew that is wasn't a game and she could get killed but she didn't care, she just felt that it was right.
She had been right in the end, given the fact that it was on her first mission that she got her cuti mark at the age of 24.
It was a simple shield, she had gotten it when a Xeno had snuck up on Oats and she had dived into the way as it try'd to claw at him.
She had getten back up after dispuite having a life threatening wound, and killed it.
Normal pones would have stayed down after a hit like that, but being an alicorn she could take a beating that would kill a normal pony.
Granted she had collapsed a minutes later due to blood loss but what could she say... even Alicorns had there limits.
And she wasnt even a normal alicorn, acording to the doctors at the palace, her DNA wasn't even fully Alicorn, it was as if she had the DNA of all three races like other Alicorns, plus some from and unknown one.
and unlike other alicorns, Midnights age wasn't affected by how powerfull her magic was, but instead was just like a normal ponys.
she she wouldn't be living as long as other alicorns did.
She was mortal.
Midnight yawned, curling up into a ball.
she hadn't realised how exhausted she was.
She closed her eyes and let her mind go blank.

____________________________________________

Equus, E.F.S Friendship, bridge

Princess Twilight Sparkle stood next to the Captain's chair, looking out he window into space.
It had taken a week to convince Celestia and Luna about Endless Midnight and another three to get permission to head off in pursuit of the Salura.
Now All she needed to wait for the last of the supply's and royal guard detachment to be loaded before setting off.
"I'm coming for you Midnight..." she said under her breath.
She began walking around the room, looking at the ponys as they worked furiously a their consoles.
the Friendship was a prototype Flagship that had been out fitted out with the most advanced systems that Equus had to offer (most of it had been made by her), the ship had been her pet project for a few years now.
Twilight heard the door hiss open and sompony step in.
"You put together a Fine ship Twilight"
Twilight turned to see Celestia walking towards her.
She smiled "None of this would have been possible without the help of you and Luna" she turned to face the window "But I'd be more happy if we could set off"
The sun goddess smiled sadly "Your sill thinking about her, aren't you" it was a statement not a question.
"I still don't understand it Celestia" she told her former mentor "She seemed so happy when I last saw her, why would she join the marines and how did she do it?" she asked.
Celestia stood closer to Twilight and looked out at the stars too "From what I have been able to gather, she Forged her information, finished and used a spell you made to make herself look like a unicorn and then just walked up and signed up".
"I know but how she managed to pull that all off and not get caught is beyond me".
the white alicorn shook her head amused "You know she's always been able to pull plans like this off, remember the indecent with that chocolate cake?".
"Where she was told she couldn't have it and she ended up coming up with that complicated plan to get some" she recalled "I'm still getting head aches trying to figure out how she pulled it off".
"I think it involved a cross bow, five cans of yellow paint, allot of gems and baby dragon?" Celestia recalled smiling.
"I think she topped Pinky Pie with that one" Twilight said, remembering her friend for the first time in over a century "I still don't know where she got half that stuff from".
they laughed for a moment, recalling the event, it had ended with most of the royal guard and themselfs coverd in .
"So how long will it take to get to intercept them?" the older Alicorn asked, returning to the mission.
Twilight walked over to the helm console and checked over some data.
"If the Salura stay'd on coarse and nothing went wrong, then we should catch up to them in a week" she predicted "If all Equestrian ships were out fitted with these new MHD's, then hyper-sleep would be obsolete" she bragged.
The door hissed open again as somepony ran inside.
Both Princesses Turned to see A light blue unicorn skid to a stop, holding an open file.
"Princess Twilight we have A-" she stopped as she noticed Celestia "Oh sorry Princesses, I didn't know you were on board" she said bowing.
"It's ok Rosebud, what is it you need to tell Twilight?" Celestia asked.
the Unicorn got up and hastily handed the file over to Twilight "I just got this from E.M.C command, they just received a distress call from the E.S.S Salura" she said "They say the Xenos they were carrying got lose and turned half the ship into a Hive".
Twilight opened the file quickly and read its contents.
"When was it sent?" she asked slowly.
"A week ago, from the information we've been able to get from it, one of the Xenomorphs evolved into a Queen and infected the entire crew, the Marines were fine but were reporting heavy casualties in there Fang and Hawk platoons".
Twilight looked at the file and back to Rosebud and back again.
"We can head off there now..." Rosebud reported "everything been loaded and the coarse has been plotted"
Twilight folded the file and put it under her wing and nodded "Lets get moving".
Rosebud saluted and ran off to make the preparations.
"You know... I could come with you Twilight, I'm sure Luna can handle-"
"No" She cut her off "She's my kid and my responsibility, I couldn't ask you to drop everything because I failed as a mother"
"But the offer still stands, in case you change your mind".
With that they bid there farewells and the Frendship Speed off to the Salura.

____________________________________________

E.S.S Salura, Enroute to hanger 4.

Midnight brought down another Xeno as it droped down from the celing, spraying the one behind it with green blood.
It screemed as it counterpart's blood burned through its carapace.
She ran past both of them downing another two before her clip went dry.
"I'm out, Reloading" she yelled into her radio mic as she pulled another clip and replaced the empty one.
So far they had lost 6 ponys and had met little resistance, most of the Xenos had gone to help their queen which left most of the way to the hanger clear.
"Objective in sight, slicing in..."
"Rear guard reports that the Xenos are on to us" she heard Goldroot say to the marine "Have that door open and a perimeter set up by the time we get there"
"Affirmative, Advance team out"
Screeches and cry's from the now fast approaching Xenos made her look behind her.
They were closing fast, Stalkers, spitters, warriors, even a rino was on there tails.
the rear guard was shooting wildly behind them as they ran, most of the shoots going wide.
some had been grabbed and were being draged away, while others were just being torn apart by claws and tails.
Midnight turned away from the slaughter and kept running.
She was behind the rest of her squad, buttercup, Trevor and Oats keeping in pace with Goldroot.
Gun fire filled the Radio, along with the odd scream.
"How many are there!"
"Berry punch look out"
"Ahhhh!"
"Pull back! Pull back!"
She speed up and caught up with Oats who was lugging his Smartgun along.
"Dear Goddess... sounds like there getting torn apart back there" He said, huffing with effort.
"Just keep running, hangers just up ahead"
Two ponys were standing in front of a large blast door, firing at the Approaching Xenos behind Midnight and her team.
As the Goldroot and there others speed past the door, Oats and Midnight stopped and pointed there weapons down the way they came, giving what was left of the rear guard, time to get through the armoured door before they closed them.
"Get in here!" she yelled over the Radio, firing another burst into the oncoming hoard.
"Hurry, there coming!"
"I don't want toI don't want to die"
Ponys rushed past them, some dragging unconscious ponys as well.
The chattering of a heavy weapon came from the back of the group.
"Come on you bastards!" somepony yelled over the roar of fire "You think I give a rats ass if I die!"
Midnight saw another group back out of a passage a little way down from the door.
judging by the majority of the group's getup, they were pilots, protected by three other ponies, one of them firing a smartgun the way they came.
The Doors began closing as the firs t one ran by.
If finally closed just as the Smartgunner finally back stepped through it, triple bolting it's self shut.
Without staying to see if the door healed the Xenos, she began running again.
The Door leading into the hanger slid open, with a hiss of compressed air, inside we a wide variety of vehicles from aircraft like Cheyenne dropship, Vendetta Gunships and Carryell bulk transports.
the hanger also featured a few ground vehicles from APC's, to Banewolf inferno tanks and other's Midnight didn't recognise right away.
most of the pony's around her were loading the aircraft with supply's and ground vehicles, some pony's had strapped into Exo-Loaders to speed up the process.
"Careful with this stuff, you drop it and we all get blown into space"
"Get those turrets on the doors"
"Stay still you pansy I'm trying to heal you"
With the amount of noise the pony's in the hanger were making, you wouldnt think that there was a army of Monsters trying to kill them.
"I'll see if I can't get the parts for this Vendetta from the damaged one"
"This is the last of it, tell Goldroot we're ready to head off..."
"midnight..."
The wisper made her jump and look around her to try and find who had called her.
"come to ussss... feed with ussss..."
The voice was in her head, making her hairs stand on end.
some pony tapped her shoulder "Midnight"
She jumped making Oats back away "Wow Girl, calm down, ya look spooked"
She shook her head "I... I heard something... Whispers" she said distantly "In my head"
"Calm down, Your just Tired is all, common lets get on th-" he was off as they heard a loud clang.
the entire hanger went quite and stared at the cargo tunnel door, which now had a large dent facing inward.
as they all watched, something began hammering the door from the other side, making more dents until the door was ripped open inwards.
Then The Xenomorph queen climbed in, flanked by her praetorian guard.
"So The bitch came to see us off" Midnight growled.
"Oats, Midnight! Get on the Dropship!" Goldroot yelled over the coms.
Oats tugged on her armour "Come on"
She pulled away, taking a defiant step towards the Queen "Go" she told him "I'll keep her busy"
He looked at her like she saw crazy "single marine can't stand up to a queen, you'll get your self killed!"
"He right" she thought "A normal marine can't stand against this bitch alone, but an Alicorn..."
Without another though, she used her Changeling spell, and in a flash of blue light, she stood in her Alicorn form, standing taller then Oats, who back stepped in shock.
"Get to the Dropship" she told him as she took to the air, grabbing two more Pulse rifles with her magic and flew towards the Queen.
"Buck me! is that, that Princess that went missing?"
"Our Endless Midnight was thee Endless Midnight?"
"Woohoo! Kick her Ass Midnight"
She fired bursts of fire at the queens and her guard, killing two of 6 guard.
"Will you guys just get air board!" she said over the radio "I'm no Celestia and I don't know how lo-" she had the wind knocked out of her as the queen swiped her aside with her hand.
she was sent flying, impacting into a er ribs.
Slowly she got back up as the first of the Dropships and Gunships lifted off and flew out the hanger through the magic shield that kept the air in the hanger and the vacuum out.
she dropped the pules rifle she was carrying, which were now empty, and looked at the tank behind her.
the armoured vehicles bolstered a removable Eradicator cannon, its multiple barrels gleaming in the light.
"Dusty get this trash can up in the air"
"Controls aren't responding sir" the Pilot said "Give me a minutes to bypass the damaged circuits".
"Dammit... Midnight, If your still breathing I need you to buy us some more time!"
Midnight Rubbed her side "Ow... How much time?" she asked.
"Dusty says Five minutes" He said after a pause "If I were you, I would use that Eradicator tanks guns"
Without a word she flew ontop of the tank and climed into the open canopy cannon and turned it on the Xenos.
while she had been down, normal Xenos had joined the party, she pulled the trigger of the cannon which began mowing them down, tearing them apart.
the Rounds just bounced harmlessly off the Queen's Hard shell.
"This aint working! Her armours too thick!" she shouted over the roar of the guns.
"Two more minutes, If only we had a Flame thrower, we could roast her"
Midnight face hoofed, remembering the flamer holstered on her back,
Quickly she took to the air and pulled the weapon out and started letting off jets of fire at the queen.
She screeched as she was enveloped in fire, lashing out in pain.
Midnight smiled as the fuel canister ran empty "Burn bitch!".
She went to pull out a fresh one, then the queens thrashing tail, knocked the flamer out of her hooves.
the weapon fell to the floor, breaking on contact with the floor.
Then the queen slashed at her, scoring a number of hits before knocking her away a her into a wall, breaking a few of her ribs.
She got back up, wincing and try'd to take to the air again, bug when she try'd to move her left wing a sharp jolt of pain erupted from it.
She gave it a once over, it was bleeding from multiple cuts and She could feel that the quite alot of the bones in it had been broken.
To make matters worse, one of her now broken ribs was constricting her lung, making it hard to breath.
"Just...Bucking...Great..." she wheezed, taking in rugged breaths as she struggled to stay up.
"Dam that mare can take a beating..." she heard somepony said over the Radio.
She saw the queen who was still on fire, advance on Midnight ,screaming in pain.
She stood her ground against the her, pulling her Pistol out and pointing it at the approaching monster.
She began firing, even though the bullets did nothing to harm the Bitch.
the Queen opened her jaws wide, her inner mouth popping out, and raised up to make the killing blow.
then and explosion made her stumble backwards, leaving a huge gaping hole in her side.
Midnight looked where the missile had come from, following the smoke trail to its sorce.
Hovering just inside the hanger, a Vendetta Gunship let off another volley of missiles at the Queen, tearing more holes in the creature.
"Hunter 4 here, though you could use a hoof"
The gunship continued to pound the Queen, emptying its missle racks.
The queen died without a sound.
"Scratch one queen" the Vendetta pilot said, taking his gunship further in, doing a flyover of the dead queen.
Midnight stood there to sttuned to move, her breathing becoming more and more labored.
"If... you guys... don't mind... I'll just... go lay down here..."
She didn't even feel herself hit the deck.

If you have stayed and read through this then thanks! This chapter was a real pain to write and will probably go through many more its perfected.
If you have any advice of ideas about what should happen next please leave a comment.
thanks!

Chapter 5 (Unedited)

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Chapter 5: Secrets

Was she dead? she didn't know, even though her eyes were open she couldnt see anything but herself.
when she try'd walking anywhere it seemed like she wasnt moving at all.
"If this is Hell then It's not like I though it would be" she though.
"So your the one thats been making all the fuss"
Midnight looked around for the pony who had said that, but found nothing but blackness.
"Hello?" she called "Who are you?"
She heard a chilling chuckle "You'll find out soon enough..." the voice said "But for now, call me Nightmare"
She could tell that the speeker was a mare, and somepony who she should be weary of. "Ok... Nightmare, where am I?" she asked "Is this hell?"
Nightmare laughed again "No... you are not in hell, and you are not dead" she told her "But you are in a coma, infact you almost died twice already"
Midnight frowned, not likeing the Unseen mares tone "Ok, if I'm not dead and ae actuly in a coma... then this is a dream?" she asked hopefuly.
"No, you are having a, how should I say it... spirit phone call"
"And let me guess, your my new crazy?" she asked board.
"I'm just somthing looking in, and Don't worry, I don't plan on doing anything to you... yet"
This made the her fur stand on end.
"But I digress, Its time for you to wake up, my dear little pony" Nightmare spat the last words out "And remember... I'll be waiting for you on Arralia"
She open'd her mouth to ask what the voice ment, but the darkness began to receed untill she was surrounded by blining light.

____________________________________________

Endless Midnight slowly opend her eyes, shielding her eyes from the harse lights.
After her eyes ajusted to the light, she began pushing herself up with a groan, she ached everywere.
she looked around her, taking in her surroundings.
she was in a small room she recognised as the medical room of a chyeane dropship, having spent a fair amount of time in a few.
She saw a pony siting in a chair on the other side of the small room, snoring loudly.
He was a brown unicorn, waring light barding with a large red cross on its shoulders pads, on the table was a number of healing potions, some empty.
Midnight gave herself a check over.
Her body was covered in bandages in multipul places and she could see there had been stiching done to many large cuts alover her body, which were already healing due to the healing potions she must have had while she was out and her natrual alicorn healing abilitys.
her wing was in a sling, which was still broken after she try'd to move it experimently.
she also had a drip attached to her for leg, blood driping through the tube and into her blood stream.
her right eye was coverd aswell with a bandage, leaving her with partial vision.
She quitely slid off her covers and slid out of the bunk she was lay'd in, making sure she didn't wake the doctor.
She try'd to use her disguise spell to become a uncorn again, only to have it fizzle and die out.
"Great, Magics out" she thought, picking the bag up with her hoof and puting it in her mouth before walking over to the door.
Midnigth nosed the control panel which opend the door.
Checking that the Brown pony was still asleep, she steped through into the troop compartment.
The compartment was filled with seats with restaining bars, all except 6 were empty.
Oats and Trevor were laying against each other, sleeping with playing cards in there hoofs, while Buttercup, Goldroot and three other ponys were on the other side, sleeping aswell.
Midnight crept past them, making her way to the cockpit.
the center of the troop bay was dominated by the shape of a Apc which was kept in place by four clamps.
there was a trail of blood leading from the ram infront of it and ending at the medbay door.
She opened the door to leading into the Cockpit and passed through the threshold.
Dusty was siting at in main pilots chair keeping the ship on its corse.
She tilted out of her seat and looked at Midnight as the door closed.
"So you dicided to join the land of the living malady?" She said jokingly.
Midnight craned her neck, and rubbed her neck "I feel like I went round to round with a heard of boar" she said droping the blood bag "How long was I out?"
"Three days, The others ran out and pulled you inside"
She pulled herself into the co-pilot seat and leaned her head against the head rest "That would explain the blood trail"
"You were bleeding pretty badly, the doc had to use almost every potion we had to keep you alive"
She looked out the cockpit canopy and at the stars byond.
"You know... the others havent slept a wink since you been out" Dusty told her "this is the first time any of them have selpt" the pilot said turning away from the forward conopy "You want me to wake them up?"
"No... let them sleep, I'm not in a rush to face them just yet"
They sat there in silence for a muinet, just staring at the stars ahead of them.
The silence was promptly broken by a cry from the back of the ship.
"She gone!"
Midnight and Dusty looked at each other, then at the door.
"We'd better get back there before they start freeking out"
She nodded and climd down, waiting for the grey Pegusas to join her,
Dusty hit a switc on her consol and set the ship on auto-piot, then together walked out of the cockpit.
As they stepped through, they saw everypony waking up while the doctor pony was talking panikly to Goldroot.
"I woke up and found her gone, in her condition she shouldnt be walking around"
"Don't worry Redheart I'm sure she's fine..." The captain trailed off as Midnight came closer to them "We'll if it isnt our little princess back in the land of the living" he said facing her.
She saluted, clutching her side after "Sir"
"Drop the act Midnight, you know you out rank me being a princess an all"
she droped her head and sighed "I'm not a princess, never have been and never will be" she told him "I'm just a marine, plain and simple"
"Then why all the secrecy?" She heard oats say behind her "Why turn yourself into a unicorn?"
"Becuase a pony like me can't join the milatary" she admitted "Plus I wanted to keep a low profile and if I stroled into the recruting office looking like I was when I dissaperd then..."
"You would have been brough back to the palace" Goldroot finished "Are you telling me that you chose the life of a Marine over a life of lucsury?"
She nodded "It's what I was ment to do" she smiled "After all... its what my cuit mark is telling me"
Buttercup raised her eye brow "What, you got your cuti mark during your time as a marine?"
she jabed a hoof in trevors direction "I got it when I saved lead for brains here from getting his ass chewed off on our first deployment..."
"I don't remember that, It must have been the other way around" he said, eyes darting around.
"Oh really?" she asked "I belive, girlish screems come to mind"
Trevor took a step towards her and mock punched her in the shoulder.
"oooook, moving on" Goldroot said "Why not tell us? we've known you long enough for you to trust us"
"Sorry sir but it wasnt that I didn't trust you... it was somthing I found out while eves droping on Brightlance on a few months ago" she told them "he had just gotten orders that if anypony in the battalion found me or saw me, then he was to inform his superiors so I can be picked up"
"but Brightlance would never turn you in, even for to top brass" Goldroot said annoyed.
"Normaly yes" she admitted "But this wasnt an order from the milatary brass... it was a direct order from Princess Twilight Sparkle"
the room went quite, as everypony took in this new information.
"But why not just say you wanted to be in the milatary to the princess's?" Oats asked "Celestia and Luna couldnt be so harsh as to deniy you a chance at doing what you love"
She sighed and sat down on the floor "It wasn't them who stopped me... It was Twilight" She said "She wanted to keep me safe, so what better way to do that then make me a princess"
"but whay go through all he trobble over another alicorn?"
"Ok... her it is, You know those roumors about me really being Twilights chiled?" she asked.
They all nodded, who haddnt heard the roumors.
She braced herself and began her story
"Well there true... to an extent, When she found me as a filly at the castle gates she took me under her wing" she puased to see if everypony was with her before continuing "But after awhile she started thinking me as her kid, and so she adopted me"
"Then that means...
She stood up "She my mother in law, and my Teacher"
Everypony stayed quite, untill sompony broke the silence "Just one more thing..."
She turned around to look at the speeker, who happend to be the red pony Pyro "On the Salura, you we're barly holding your own against that queen, arnt you alicorns ment to be super powerful?"
She'd been waiting for sompony to bring that up.
"Well yes, alicorns are powerful magic users, but I'm not a full alicorn, Im half one"
"Wait what?" one of the other marines said "How can you not be half alicorn? alicorns are a fusion of all the races"
"belive it or not, I'm a half blood, like you say, Alicorns are a mix of all three races, and I'm no diffrent" she explained "but the other half of my geans are of unkown origen, the doctors in carntralot couldn't figure out what the other geans were from"
"so becuase your not a full alicron..." Goldroot started.
"I'm not on the same level of power as other alicorns, I'm still powerful" she told them "But I'm not too powerful ether"
"What about physicly, the whole battalion saw how much of a beating you took and still kept fighting"
"Well Alicorns can take a beating anyway, but I can take even more"
Goldroot stroked his chin "From s I presume?" She nodded "And the regenative abilitys? you've already proven that you heal faster then any normal pony"
"Oh that?" she said dissmisively "Thats a normal alicorn thing" she took on a more sober look "So know you know my story... what happens now?"
Goldroot looked at her, thinking over his options.
Then he stood up tall and cleard his throught "Now, Staff-Sargent Midnight, we get to that Matalic mass, hope its an abandond station and call for help" he put he hoof on her shoulder "And don't worry, no one in the battalion will turn you in, the 22nd looks after its own, no matter what they are"
She felt like somepony had lifted a great waight form her.
"Thanks guys, I'm glad your still cool about this"
"Are you kidding me, when we get back to Equus you owe me a drink at the Applesanp bar" Oats said, laugheding
"Yea, all of us" Buttercup added, patting her on the back hardly.
She smiled "I'll buy the entire Battalion a round!" she said with enhusiasum.
"You make that two round and Your all forgiven" one of the Marines said.
"Lightning you couldnt even handle one!" his friend said.
"On another note" Goldroot said slilencing the two "I'm surprised you didn't used that fancy spell to trun into a unicorn" Goldroot said.
Midnight groaned "I've tried but..." she try'd using the spell, but only to have it fizzle and die out again "That happens" she said, turning red with embarisment.
"I don't think magic is meant to do that..."
"well she can worry about it later" Redheart said, grabbing Midnight by the foreleg and pulled her along with him "Right now I have to make sure you didn't open any of your stitches" he grumbled.
He pulled her inside the medical bay and closed the door.

Authors note: See what I did there :P
Yea this chapter was short and it is best it stays that way.
As for the dream sequence and the mysterious Nightmare, well lets say you'll be hearing from her allot in later chapters.
Thanks for staying with the story so far!

Chapter 6: (Unedited)

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Chapter 6: (Unedited)

"You win again!"
"What can I say, I'm just that good"
"Yea... If good means Lucky"
"Na man I'm just goodsall"
Midnight watched the two go about there game, after the last time she didn't join in, she'd lost thirty bits to one of them.
Redheart had removed her bandages and stitches already and a day after had taken her wing's sling off alowing her to move it again.
She took a bite out of her ration bar, the poorly made apple ration bar wasn't much but it was all they had on the dropship.
"Guys, we're about to come round the gas giant" Dusty's voice crackled on troop bay speakers "I'm getting alot of interference form the this gas ball so I don't know... what... Oh sweet Celestia...".
Midnight rushed to the intercom just as Goldroot reached it.
"What's going on up there lieutenant?"
The pilot stayed quite for a minuet "you guys better see this for yourselves"
they all climd into the cockpit, and saw what the pilot was so shocked about.
There were wrecks of ships of diffrent shapes and sizes drifting about.
"What is Celestias name happened here..." she said, leaning forwards to get a better look out the canopy.
"most of those ships are showing signs of battle" Goldroot said, pointing "Look at those scorch marks, looks like energy weapon damage"
"These can't be Equestrian ships, the only ship to ship conflict we've had was with the griffins twelve years ago" Trevor said, looking in from the doorway.
Goldroot claimed up to the co-pilots seat and started scanning the wrecks "Looks like most are completely offline, I'm getting faint power readings from some of the less damaged ships but only faint".
"its a graveyard" Midnight said to herself.
"Wait, if there's power on some of those ships then there may be crew onboard" Lightning said "We might get to meet a new alien race" she said excited power levels are too low to belong to life support" Goldroot told them, keeping his eyes on the readouts " and according to these reading those wrecks have been there for years, the chances that there is anything living there is-" he stopped and started taping the screen "Wait... getting a large power reading near the centrer of the debris field"
He opened a channel with the rest of the ships "Wolf 1-3 and hunter's 2 and 4 with us, were investigating the power signal"
"Roger Viper 2-3, Hunters 2 and 4 forming up"
"Wolf 1-3 right behind you sir"
Dusty pushed forward on her control stick, making the dropship lurch forward.
Everypony stayed quite so the pegusas could focused on dodging the drifting debris.
The two Cheyenne and Vendettas weaved and dodged and twirled through, the Gunships sending a missile every once and a while to destroy a piece of debris too big to avoid.
Finally they came to there destination.
"My goddess... look at the size of that thing"
The ship was massive, dwarfing everything around it, and making them look like insects.
of all the ships in the 'Graveyard' this one seemed relatively untouched, baring light damage its hull dented by numerous impacts of neighbouring wrecks and hulks.
"Who could have made such a monster of a vessel" Trevor said.
"Look! Pyro said pointing "On the hull, can anyone else read that or is it just me?"
they all looked at where he pointed, sure enough there was a name writen in plain equestrian.
U.M.S.C Ragnarock.
"There's a hanger at the front of the ship" Goldroot said, glaring at his screen "looks like the doors are still operational".
"I'll bring us in slowly" Dusty said, moving closer to the Dreadnought.
The Gunships took point as they approached the Ragnarock's fore hanger, its huge doors dominating their view.
"So how are we getting inside there?"
"We could knock"
The doors opened for the first time in a long time, allowing the four ships passage into its dark hanger.
"Or I can open it remotely?" Goldroot said, smiling "bring us in, lets see what we've got to work with".
they flew into the dark hanger, their floodlights on and looking around the room.
as they flew through, they was a large number of craft hanging in cradles along the walls.
Sompony whistled impressed "Yall look at that"
Dusty put the dropship down on the deck, magnetising the landing struts so the ship wouldn't drift off.
the Hanger doors closed and air hissed as the room pressurised.
"Oxygen green, gravity red" The on-board computer said "Ready to board the Ragnarock"

_____________________________________
Midnight pointed her rifle ahead of her, its inbuilt torch adding to the light produced by her helmet.
THUNK! "Shit! I bucking hate zero G!"
Midnight rolled her eyes at the Electric blue Peguses "could you keep your mind on the job for five seconds?"
"I can't help it, its just the way I am" She crashed into a floating box "Why are we the one's who got volunteered for this?" she wined.
"Becuase we're the only one's who have any experience with zero G" She told her plainly "The control room's just ahead".
She aimed herself towards the direction of her objective and pushed herself off the wall, propelling her self forward, It was alittle like flying.
They came to a half open door and held onto the wall to bring themselves to a stop, and peered in.
The room was filled with a bank computers and screens, along with a large window looking out into the pitch black hanger below them.
Midnight grabbed both the door and the wall and began to pull it open, grunting with effort.
Finally the door was open wide enough for the both of them to squeeze through.
Once inside, she saw how bad the room was.
there was cables hanging from the ceiling with a large metal beam dung into the floor.
Lightning and Midnight moved to the computers and pulled themselves into the seats in front of the computers.
"Ok, lets see if this thing still works" she said to herself as she hit a key experimental.
The screen lit up with a Logo before bringing up a line of data and some options.
She gave out a little cheer before scaning the screen for the option she wanted.
activate oxygen shield... Decompress room... Reboat Gravity generators... open main doo- Wait! Reboot Gravity generators yes!.
she tapped on the screen (which turned out to be a touch screen) and selected the option.
a low pitched wine filled the room as they felt gravity take hold and pull them down into their seats, followed by repeated tumps as objects that had previously been floating dropped like rocks onto the deck.
Then Something dropped on top of her.
It was an alien skeleton.
"Crap!" she yelled as she lifted it off her with magic.
The bones had turned brown from years of degradation.
It whatever it had been, it would have stood on two legs, and would have been few heads taller then a pony.
It had fingers instead of hooves and judging by its skull it would have had a flat face.
"You aright Midnight" Lightning said, leaning out of her seat to look at her.
Midnight got up an bushed dust off herself "Yea, I'm aright" tapped her earbloom "Midnight to Boarding party" she said into it "Gravity is back online"
"Good work, I'll call in the other ships"
"Hang on sir" she said as she tapped the activate oxygen shield option, which was followed by a blue field "Ok, call them in,, also sir I found one of the crew"
"they alive?"
"Well they aint talking sir" she Put the skeleton down gently against the wall "Judging by the state of the bones they died years ago"
She could hear him sigh "Ok, whats your eta?"
"We're on our way bac-"
"Midnight! Take a look at this"
"hold a sec sir" she got up and went over to the other marine "What you got?"
The pegusas looked up at the alicorn and back to the screen "Looks like a video recording, the time stamp says it's from over 200 years ago"
"200..." she looked back at the body, then back to the screen "Play it"
Lightning tapped on the file which brought up a window.
the creture in the video was the same shape of the skeleton and was fur-less except for some hair on top fo there head.
"Lutenant Sera Thompson's duty report" she was a female telling by her voice "The we've been working non stop for the last two days, Admirals been driving everyone hard trying to get ready to face the Alpha's fleet"
Midnight tapped on her earbloom "Sir... you getting this?"
"Roger that, We're seeing the feed form your helmet cam" Goldroot assured her "Just don't move your head".
She did what she was told and kept watching the video.
"There's been allot of rumours going around that earth and the other colony's have been wiped out already and we're all that left" the lady shook her head "If thats true, then this isnt a counter attack... its a last stand" that would explain all the wrecks "I had a friend on the Orpheus before she got taken over by the bitch and had its crew slaughtered"
Midnight wondered who or what was this Sera talking about.
"Wait..." the woman looked away from the screen "Something going on" she got up and went over to another computer, leavi full view of the room and what she was doing.
She started looked at the screen, then turned pale "Oh my god..." was all she could say before the ship shook violently, she screemed as a metal beam fell form the ceiling and hit her, knocking her to the floor.
after laying there for a long time, they knew she was dead.
Midnight turned the recording off and looked back at the body.
200 hundred years... the body had been there for so long, all that remained of this poor woman was bones and one horrible video of her death.
"Show some respect everypony" Goldroot said "We're in graveyard".
"I've got a deck layout of the ship" Lightning said getting up "Might be some more information on terminals deeper inside the ship"
Suddenly the light came on in both the room they were in and the hanger.
"Oats here, We found a generator for this section of the ship"
"Ok. get back here and we'll see if those deck plans can point us in the direction of the bridge"
Lightning made her way to the door and waited for her to follow.
Midnight turned to follow, sparing a quick glance at the dead woman before following the Pegasus out.

Chapter 7: (Unedited)

View Online

Chapter 7:
By the time they reached the hanger, the rest of the ships had landed and the ponys inside were unloading and truning the hanger into a tempory command center.
She walked back to where Viper 2-3 was landed, ignoring the stares of the ponys around her.
"Is that her?"
"Ya'll just leave her alone"
She quickened her pace, rushing past everypony untill she reached the assulte ramp and jogged up it.
inside the ship, Goldroot was hunched over the a computer terminal looking over the data they had sent to him.
He looked up as she walked over to him "Good work on getting this data" he commented as she and Lightning sat down opersit him "We've already found a elevator leading up to the bridge"
As he said that, a section of the map he was looking over lit up "I sent a squad of ponys to go check it out" his eyes didnt leave the screen.
I know where this is going, she though as the Captain continued.
"They say that its wothout power and they can't get past the elevator car"
"So you need us to go reboot the main core?" He nodded and replaced the map of their deck with another "The main engineering is here..." he pointed at a large room "Also I found the main data core on the same level, I want you to split into two teams to get both objectives"
"I'll get my teams ready" Midnight said as she got up.
"Yea, it'll be a breeze" Lightning said as she hoverd away.
"any intell before we go?"
He smiled "Its dark down there, bring lots of flares"

___________________________________________

Well he'd been right about the flares.
Midnigth ducked under a fallen bulkhead and lit another flare.
She'd split up with the rest of her squad to head to engineering, Midnigth had brought some ponys from one of the other dropships and let Oats lead the others to the computer core.
there had been more bones on this level then the others, most probably becuase it was one of the most inportent decks, she knew what the cretures race's name was after finding some sort of rescearch notes.
Humans.
"It stinks" one of the ponys with her complained.
he had a point, it did smell bad on this level and it was getting worse the closer they got to their destination.
ever since they had split off with Oats delta team, Midnight had been getting a sickly feling about the deck that made her mane stand on end.
they came to a large closed door that dwarfed before it.
Midnight levitated two flares from her saddle bag, lit them and threw them on both sides of it and looked for a way to open it.
"Oh look, A big door"
She checked her holographic map again, it showed her team infront of a large door, byond it was a large room with what looked like a long bridge going straight in the middle of the room to the other side of it.
"Map says that theres a large room byond this door, looks like it leads to engineering" she told her team "now we just need to get past this door".
Everypony sat there in thought, then she heard the click of a missle luancher being primed.
"Lets blow it up!" said a orange stalion as he stood on his hind legs and aimed the launcher.
"NO!" They all yelled in unusion and Midnight pulled iit off him and levitated it over to one of the other ponys.
She pointed at it "Keep that away" she pointed at the orange stalion "from him".
After seeing the pony nod a few times, she walked over to a small computer pannle byside of the door and tapped it experimentaly.
just like the one in the hanger control room, this one lit up, but only had one option.
She selected it and steped back as the door grinded open.
byond it was a sight she had hopped not to have seen for a good while.
The walls and bridge was coverd with the black web like substance of a Xenomorph hive.
"She tapped her ear bloom quickly "Alpha to Delta and Recon actual"
"Recon Actual here" Goldroot's voice came over her radio "report Sargent"
"Be advised, we've just confirmed a Xeno hive on the ship!" informed him "I think there just on this deck though"
He swore outloud "have you made contact with any Xenomorphs?"
"No but I don't think that will last long though sir"
"Delta here" Oats piped in "We're in the Data core, there's more of that black hive stuff futhre down the hall, I got Trevor and Buttercup keeping an eye on it while we get the data".
"Ok, Midnight continue with current tasking but stay alert"
"Affirmitive, Alpha out" she turned to her team "Ok combat stance everypony".
She levitated her rifle infront of her and began advancing across the bridge.
They moved across the bridge quickly and quitelty, not willing to make a sound incase they brought the inhabitants of the hive upon them.
Midnight took a quick look over the edge of the bridge and regreted it.
The drop went on forever and it made her head spin just looking at it.
she shook her head and continued one, quickening her pace to get off the bridge as soon as she could.
Just as they reached the other end, they heard a loud screech followed by a number of hissis and screechs.
"Eyes forward boys and girls, we got incoming"
all five ponys stood in a line and pointed their weapons down the hall way, as the first creture came into view.
It was different then Xenoporphs she had fought before, it was larger and less ony like and more human like.
Midnight pulled the trigger and started pelting the thing as it came closer, aided by added fire from her team.
the creture stagerd before falling, its blood hissing as it melted through the decking.
more of the things came at them, 12, 17, 20, she lost count as they began swarming them.
"FALL BACK!" she yelled "ALPHA UNDER HEAVY ASSAULT, NEW XENO BREED, WERE FALLING BACK!"
"Alpha, give me a siprap, what new breeds!"
"THERE SOME SORT OF LARGER VERSIONS OF XENO WARRIORS, WE CAN'T HOLD THEM!"
"Delta inbound to your position now Alpha, meet them at your last transmission location!" Goldroot orderd her.
"Alpha 2 and 4 give us covering fire!" she yelled at the ponys at the back of the group.
they took position at ether side of the bridge and continued fireing as ther rest of the team ran past them and took posiotions for them to fall back, they did this untill they reached the door.
the rest of the rushed past it, with Midnight trailing, but before she could get off the bridge a Xeno droped from the celing in her path.
She shot it in the face and watched it topple down into the dephths below.
She didnt hear the warning of her team, or the other Xeno coming up behind her.
She felt something hit her side, folowed by an agonising pain which made her rare up and lose her balance.
She fell.
Midnight barley registered sompony calling her as the blackness took her.

Chapter 8: (Unedited)

View Online

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.

Chapter 9 (Unedited)

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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!"

____________________________________________

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"

____________________________________________

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

Chapter 10: (Unedited)

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Chapter 10: (Unedited)

Goldroot looked up as She enterd the dropship.
"Midnight!" he said happyly "Are you a sight for sore eyes, we'd though you'd surely-" she stoped as Bullseye came in after her.
"What the hell?" he was about to pull he sidearm out before Minight stoped him.
"It's ok sir, he's with me" she said.
Goldroot looked at her doubtfully but left the gun where it was.
"What's going on Midnight?" he said "Tell me everything"
"Ok, but its abit crazy sir" she told him as she began her story.
Of her loseing her leg and falling at the hive, to waking up in the white one with her new leg, to meeting with Empathy and Dawn and everything that happend after, Bullseye correcting anything she got wrong.
she was when breathless when she finished.
"-I left her with Buttercup and came here" she finished.
The old vetrean had sat down into one of the troop compartments seat, trying to process the information he had just heard.
"So let me get this straight... The Prometheans are distant cusions of the Xenomorphs but are on our side?"
"Yep"
"and your the daughter of their queen?"
"Mmm hmm"
"And that makes you half alicorn and half Prothethean"
"Yes"
"And you have an little sister called Empathy Flame" he endded.
"Sounds right to me"
Goldroot shook his head "If I havent known you for so long I'd think you were crazy" He smiled "So what do we do now?"
"Well Dawn wanted me to arrange a meeting with you and her, said that she had a way to get to Marine reseach lab on A nearby world called Arralia" she said "But before that I want to go check on Empathy... I left her with Buttercup"
"I'll come with you, I'm intrested in meeting this sister of yours myself" Goldroot said, getting up.
They exited the ship and walked down the way Buttercup had went, but having looked for half a hour, decided to ask around.
"Buttercup? I think I saw her go into the bar"
Goldroot thanked the marine and dissmissed him.
"A bar? sounds like her" Midnight musued "Even if she looking after a filly, she'd still head there"
It turned out that the bar was just a large tent with a few chairs and tables, and a line of crates for a counter.
She saw Buttercup and Empathy at the far corner and asked Bullseye to wait outside, the tent was too small for a Promethean his size to fit anyway.
Midnigth and Goldroot made there way to them, seeing That Oats, Trevor, Pyro Lightning and Dusty were sittig with them.
"So your her younger sister?" they hear Oats say as they got closer.
"Yep, I'm 11 year younger then her"
Trevor was the first one to notice them "Well speek of the devl, Midnight... Captain"
"Corpral" Goldroot agnolaged, and turned his attention to Empathy "So this is the little filly I've been hearing about"
Midnight gestured to Empathy "Captain Goldroot... Empathy Flame" she gestured to the stalion "Empathy Flame... Captain Goldroot"
"HI"
Midnight and Goldroot grabed some seats and sat down.
"I hear you got a new leg" Oats said "Can we see?"
Midnight abliged and showed it to them, flexing her claws thretingly.
"Wow... How does it feel" Dusty asked.
She shurged Dosnt feel like anything" she told her "the fingers took awhile to get use to, but It dosnt fell any diffrent then the old one"
"Does that mean you need to change your battarys every day?" Pyro joked.
"And avoide water" Lightning pipped in.
"No I'm ok in water" she raised her leg "Its water proof and I dont need battarys, Its powerd by a Fire ruby"
Pyro made a oh face and siped his drink.
Midnight noticed Empaty drinking somthing "Please tell me that's not Achaholic..."
"No, its apple juice" Buttercup Assured her "now... I think You owe us a explination"
Midnight sighed and told her story for the second time that day.

____________________________________________

Midnight Flopped down onto the bunk and burryed her face into her pillow.
After meeting with the rest of her friends and telling them her story, its had been a exhasting affare of getting all the details for Goldroot and Her mothers Meeting and she had only just been give a chance to take a break.
Off to her side in a sepret bunk, Empaty Flame was snoring quitly.
The Filly had, had a tiring day and fell asleep asoon as she had hit the pillow, If only sleep would come to Midnight so easyly.
But try as she might, she couldnt convince her tired mind to rest, fear of what awaited her byond the blackness of sleep made her heart freeze.
Wether it was Nightmare's cryptic speeches or visions of what was to come, she was terrorfide.
Finaly accepting defeat, she got up and snuck out the tent she and her sister had been given.
Outside the tent was quite and still, apart from the nightwach, everyone was asleep.
She walked the length down the street of tents and ships, lost in thougt.
With everything that had happend, the loss of the Salura and a large portion of her Battalion, her secret uncoverd, finding the Ragnarock its crew, finding her birth parents, somtimes she wonderd if this was all just twisted nightmare and that Midnight was still in Cryo on the Salura.
But she had seen too much for her to belive that.
She let her mind wonder, what would happen if they got back, would the be split up and sent to other battalions? Or would her seacret be exposed and would she be draged back to Equus?
After the nightmare the last month had been, she was trying to dicide wether she sould leave the core and find somwhere she could settle down and-
She shook her head getting rid of the thouht, She was a marine though thick and thin, even if she did leave she wouldnt be happy.
Being a solder was in her soul and as long as there was still life in her vains, she would fight to defend Equus and her colanys, not to do so would discrace the memorys of everyone who had fallen in battle byside her.
So cuaght up in her thoughts she didnt knotice that insted of of going forward, but insted was going up.
she noticed this a muinite later and dropped like a rock onto her Flank.
Did I just... Walk up a wall?

Chapter 11: (Unedited)

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Chapter 11: (Unedited)

She was back in the Promethean hive, standing at the back of the room, watching the events go on.
Dawn and Goldroot had already discused the detailes about the Arralia, But Midnight was waiting for one question...
"How are we going to reach it?" Goldroot asked, standing over a tacmap.
the tacmap showed a star map, a green arrow showing where they were, and a red one showing Arallia.
"Our ships wont beable to get though and it'll take too long to go around, not enough fuel"
Dawn nodded "Yes, but We have a salution" she waved her hadn over the tabel, which switched from the starmap to an extireor cammra feed.
the feed showed a ship, a Frigte from the looks of it, with a large number of prometheans crawling over its hull.
"We've been getting her ready for sometime now, we found her adrift relitivly undamaged and unman'd"
The ship dispite its boxy apperance and small size compared to the other ship wrecks, looked amazing.
Midnight steped forward "Whats it's name?"
Stonehold levitated a piace of paper and read form it "It says here that it's called the Glassgo"
Dawn said "She will be ready to set sail in a day"
Everypone cheered at the news, first they would head to the Arralia system and call for aid, from there it would be homeword.
The meeting endded as ponys and Prometheans began socilicing, it was an odd sight, considering how simular the Prometheans looked to thier Xenomorph cosians, but the remneates of the 22nd took it in thier stride.
After the events of the past month nothing really surprised them.
Midnigth saw Dawn, Stonehold and Goldroot talking to each other away from the group, Dawn was off her throne and was hunched over listning to what was being said.
"So what do you make of all this Midnight?"
She turned around to see Oats walking up to her.
"Prometheans and Ponys working together I mean" he asked.
Midnight shruged "Duno, I'm still having trouble beliving that I'm related"
He cracked a smile "to be perfectly hounest I dont mind about that" he said "as long as you dont start crawling along walls"
Midnight gave him a miscivos grin "No promises"
"I'm serious, if I wake up to find you looking down on me from the celing I will shove your horn so far up your-"
Midnight shoved hoof over his mouth "Now now Oats, Fillys about" she gestured to her back where Empathy was laying with her head deep in a book"
"She hasent left you since we got here?" Oats said "Dont she have any friends?"
Midnight shook her head "Nope, mum says even though she gos the the school here she dosent have any friends" she smiled sadly "Guess it runs in the family"
"So's reading aparently"
"Yea it is" She shook her head hoplessly "I thought that I got it from Twilight but now I know better"
"So If you had Children, they would probably end up as book worms like their mum?" Oats said grining ear to ear.
Midnight punched him playfully with her clawd leg "I'll show you book worm..."
He held his leg over his head in defence "Ok ok, but have you ever thought about it?"
Midnigth tilted her head "thought about what?"
"Having kids"
Midnights mouth hung open at the question, her mind still processing it "Wha?"
"You know... setteling down, having a family"
"Why do I get the felling that your not asking wether I want to settle down" she leaned in "So... who is she?"
Oats bit his tonge and wisperd to her "Well she dosnt know it yet... but it Lightning"
Midnight rolled her eyes "And you dont know how to tell her how you feel right?"
Oats turned red "Is it that obvious?" she nodded "Bloody hell"
Midnight chuckled "You've been reading the arcive data again havent you?"
Oats ignored the comment "Can you give me some advice on how to tell her?"
"Oats, I havent had a relationship in my life... all I can tell you is that you should go and tell her" she shruged "I she says no then atleast you tried"
Oats nodded "Thanks Midnight... I think I might just do that" he rushed off into the crowed.
Empathy then choise then to look up from her book "What did I miss?"
Midnight shook her head just as Goldroot called "Sargent, get over here!"
She troted over to him and her parents, who were watching her as she came.
"Whats the problem sir?"
"Nothing Sargent, but you parents wanted to ask you somthing"
Midnight turned to face the unicorn and the queen "yes?"
"Midnight, we would like you to take your sister when you leave" Stonehold said, getting straight to the point.
Both Midnight and Empathy blinked wildly in shock.
"We feel that it would be best that you spend some time together and for Empathy to see the universe" Dawn continued "But we thought it best to ask you what you thought about it"
Midnight quickly glanced a look at Goldroot "You havent got a problem with this sir?"
"Not one kid, She'd be your responsability"
Midnight crained her head back to look at Empathy Flame "What about you sis?" she asked "Would you like to come with me?"
The filly didnt need asking twice "Yes! I want to see where you grew up and what other worlds are like!" she said exitedly.
Midnight nodded and quickly lost herself in thought.
sure she would love to spend tiem with her sister and for her to see her world, but then again it would be hard to explain why she had a alicorn filly when they made contact with the E.M.C, plus the fact that Midnight had a feeling that Arallia would be dangorus.
in the end she came to her decision.
"I'll take her"she said fianly "but she'll have to learn how to use my Changling spell" "No problem" Empathy said, jumping off her back with her book wraped in her magic''s grip "Everyone says that I'm realy good with magic"
Midnight looked at the filly, then at her mum "when she says she's good with magic..."
"She's already as strong as Princess Twilight, back when she was a unicorn"
Midnigth kept stareing at Empathy, then a thought came to her.
"I think Empathy has both her own magic and mine aswell" she said "Might explain why I'm such a weak magic user"
Stonehold looked at her doubtfully "When you say that, do you mean that you act-"
"I got a E- when I took my magic potential exam" she said dryly.
"Oh"
"Not that I mind, I never used my magic other then levitating stuff and using my Changling spell when I was out and about" she told them.
"so thats why you didnt use your alicron powers on the Salura... you never had any to begin with" Goldroot relised "Which means that you could have gotten yourself killed with at stunt you pulled"
"Um... sir, I ended up in a coma for 3 days" she reminded him.
"True..."
"And I was wraped up in bandages for 3 more day after that" she added "But I was fully recoverd by the time we got here"
Stonehold nodded in agreement "You do seem to have a high healing rate" he said "Do all alicorns heal that fast?"
Midnight rolded her eyes "No, When Twilight broke her wing a few years back, it took a month for her to get better"
"And how bad was the wing"
"She broke her primary wing bone" she said "Doc says that I broke every bone in my wing, but even after that I still fly as good as I always have"
she flaped her wings and luanched herself into the air and did a few tricks to prove her point.
"So you heal faster then anyother pony, just like the Prometheans" Stonehold thought out loud "Maby when you were born, you inherited some promethean DnA aswell, only thing that makes sense"
"Well as long as I'm still alive, I don't care"
They head hoof steps and turned to see Pyro, Trevor, Dusty, Buttercup, Oats and Lightning troting up to them.
"Hey sir, the Prometheans and ponys here want to throw us a going away party" Oats said exitedly "They even got a club stocked full of Booze"
"Ahh, Club Equestria" Dawn said "The safest place on the ship, unless you like your licoer that is" she glanced at at Stonehold who gave her his best Who me? expresion.
"You got a club here?" Midnight exclaimed.
"Well of corse we do" Stonehold said with a little laugh "How do you think we pass the time here?"
Midnight scractched her chin thoughtfully.
"And I hear you guys got so human acahol" Lightning added "And the DJ is ment to have studyd under Vinal Scratch.
"Hmmm, Student of famous D.J, Alien booze, tones of battle weary Marines... Sounds like fun"
"I'll go tell the others" Lighting turned around and gave Oats a quick peck on the cheek "Come on you..." she said as she rushed off into the crowd.
Midnight raised her eyebrow at the stalion who just shruged and rushed off after Lightning.
"Called it!" Trevor shouted triumphantly "I totaly called it, you owe me 20 bits" he held he hoof out at Pyro whohandded a bag of gold coins to him.
"Come on!" Dusty shouted as she began to walk off "I'll lead you there"
"Go on then, I think everyone needs a drink or two... or a hundrad after the last few weeks" Goldroot said "I have some bussniess to descuse with your Parents"
Midnight left them and joined her friends as they made thier way to the Bar.

Chapter 12: (Unedited)

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Chapter 12: (Unedited)

The Savanna glided thought the blackness of space, her ragtag crew working diligently on keeping her in topshape.
Midnight however, was nursing a massive hagover.
The party the day before had been a good one with plenty of drinks, Incuding some very strong alien bevrages.
Needless to say Midnight had, had one too many Bottles of taquila which had lead to her ending up passed out.
The lights in her shared room flashed on, making her burry her face into her pillow to hide from the light.
"the light!" she hissed "It burns!"
Midnight heard a fillys laugh "Well surves you right for drinking so much"
Midnight groned as Empathy Flame jumped onto the bed "Who ever said that drinking so much taquila was a good idea is an idiot" she grumbled as she got out of bed.
Empathy smiled "You know that you just called yourself an idiot right?" she said amused "How are to felling?"
Midnight groned "I feel dizzy!" she said as she swayd on her hoofs.
"well Thats to be expected, you drunk enough to kill a normal pony" Empathy told her "I'm surprised you havent-"
"I think I'm going to stop standing up now" Midnight colapsed onto the hard cold floor.
"-passed out" Emapthy finished.
"My body is trying to die..." Midnight moaned.
"Good thing I called Redheart to come check on you" Empathy said as the Medic pony came into view.
"I'll need you to leave so I can examin her" the Stalion said, nealing down next to her.
"Dont leave me with the horrible doctor"
"Oh shut up Sargent"
"Blaarg!"
"Empathy could you be a dear and make some Coffee"
The filly rushed off and got a kettle.
One thing Midnight knew for sure... Taquila had made the list!

____________________________________________

A day (and alot of Morpheen) later Endless Midnight was walking throught the narrow corrodors of the Savanna, making her way to the ships bridge.
She still had little idea about what went of two nights ago other then the fact that she had Passed out at the bar and had to be draged onto the savanna
the doors to the bridge slid open, the bridge was full of consoles and big screens, ponys were sat at most of them, whatever they were doing she was too tried and still had a headach, granted it was a small one.
A large view screen dominated the room, showing a feed from a camra along prow of the ship, the harsh liquidy white light of quantom space.
Goldroot sat in the center of the room in the command chair, hunched over a small screen on the chairs arm.
Midnight stood next to him and looked at the main screen, watching the lights fly past.
"Finaly got you up and about did they?" Goldroot chuckled, not looking up from his pannle.
"Mostly sir" she replyed "Theres probably a reason why Xenos and Prometheans dont drink"
"aye, probably right" he looked up and at her "But if you want some advice, never drink that much Taquila again"
"Dont worry sir" she said "I'm likly to avoide that piticular drink for a while"
"Rightly so" He turned off the chair console and got up "We're a few hours out from the Arralia system" he Said "We've still not detected any singnals coming from the target planet"
She nodded "Could be their sun or the nebula, This isnt called the dead zone for nothing"
The dead zone was the area of space they had been in for the last month, and area of space that was mystiros and peroless.
As well as comunications to anything outside the dead zone beign inpossable, the zone also held huge nebulas, death worlds and other dangers.
But it also held wonders, it had many habbitable worlds some full of jungles or just oceans, but the mystorys of the Dead zone had never been uncoverd, it was the Everfree forest of space.
"Well I want you on comunications" Goldroot told her "You have the best ears in the Battalion so I'm sure you'll fit right in"
She nodded and took a seat at the empty seat.
"I still dont know why we cant use this new Q.S.D to just jump straight to Equus" Midnight said "If it takes us a few days to make a jorny that would have taken a normal ship weeks, then how long would it take to get from the Ragnarock to Equus?"
A pony at the helm console looked back at her "Becuase the drive would burn out before we reached there" they said "Your Promethean buddys may have worked mricles on the Savanna but she's still needs a complet overhall"
"Yea" a pony on the other side of the room "And its not just the drive, every cannon's offline except for one, gravitys still down on most levels and the computers keep going glitchy"
as if on cue, Midnights screen began flickering on and off.
"I see what you mean"
"Try hitting the side of the screen"
She curled her metal hand into a fist and slamed it into the side of the screen which stoped flickering and started working properly.
"There" she said smileing "thats better".
The screen started flickering again.
This was going to be a long few hours.

Chapter 13: (unedited)

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Chapter 13
Princess Twilight Sparkle looked at the stratagy table infront of her, studying its large screen "How long?"
The Friendships charts officer, a pony by the name of Fog, looked at the map which was being desplayd on the table screen.
"If we go right though... 10 days, as long as the route you ploted is safe"
"I still dont like it princess" Rosebud said for the untenth time "Going though a class 1 nebula like this could be fatel"
"I know Rosebud but theres no choice" Twilight said "This is the only world in the dead zone that they could have gone is in the Arralia system"
The unicorn frowned "yes princess I know, but if they took dropships to get there then they are still enroute to the system" she pointed out "Why not figure out their route and search there?"
"That would take too long and they would run out of supplys before then" Twilight said "the rescerch base on Arralia 4 has a relay station that can detect everything in the Dead zone"
"And your going to use it to find the 22nd" Rosebud summerised.
"Yes, I am"
The Door to the stratagy room hissed open as Mare enterd.
The Mare bowed "Sorry to interupt Princess, but we're ready to go"
Twilight nodded "Tell the helms pony to head out using the route I have provided"
The mare bowed again "Yes mylady"
After she left Twilight turned back to Rosebud and the chart officer "We had better get to the bridge" she told them as she walked over to the door and opend it.
"Yes princess" they said at once as they followed her out.
"Finaly..." she thought "We're coming Midnight, dont do anything silly untill we get there"

____________________________________________

"Savanna to anypony on Arralia 4... anyone there?" Midnight repeated again.
"Anything?"
"Nothing sir, I'm just getting static"
The Savanna had droped out of Quantom space an hour ago, thinking it best for them to aprroch the planet using inpulse engins so that anypony at the research outpost would be able to see them coming.
"Arralia 4 research base, this is the Savanna under the command of the Equestrian Marine's 22nd Bugsplaters battalion is anypony reading me?" Midnight said into her mike.
"Captain Goldroot!" the sensor officer called "I'm reading a ship over the planet, scans show its the same class of ship as the Salura"
Goldroot leaned in "IDC?"
"Reciving now... Its the E.S.S. Manehatten sir"
"Midnight, Hail them"
Midnight began typeing into her console, which had stoped flickering finaly, and opend a channle.
"This is the Savanna under the command of the E.M.C 22nd, we a requesting primission to make orbit"
The coms stayed slilent.
She frowned "E.S.S. Manehatten... Repond!"
still nothing.
She shruged helplessly at Goldroot.
"Helm, bring us in closer" he orderd.
The Savanna crept closer to the planet, the slihout of the Manehatten seeming menicing.
"zssszss!"
Midnigth jumped as the sound came from her headset.
"I got somthing sir..."
"Whats is it?"
Midnight frowned "Hang on sir, I'm going to try bosting the signal"
after making some ajustments, she tryd again.
"Savanna to Arralia base or the Manehatten, repeat last message"
"zszsz,nt,zsszsz,pproch,zszsz,hatt,zz,nemy,zsszssz,rol"
"Arralia base bost your signal"
They were fast approching the Manehatten, which had made not move.
"zss,Dont app,zszsz, manehatten,zszszs, enemy control"
"Still not movement from the Manehatten"
The massage finaly came though clear.
"Savanna do not approch, the Manhatten is under enemy control!"
Midnight shot up "Get us out of here!" she shouted.
"Weapons lock!" the sensor officer shouted.
The Savanna turned just as the guns of the Manehatten fired.
two sets of twin beams inpacted into the ship, shaking it was it continued turning.
before the hostile ship could score second blood, the Savanna went full burn and hid behind the moon.
The Manehatten stayd where it was.
Inside the Savanna's bridge, sparks were flying everywere as computers exploded and hull and deckign lay blown apart.
Midnight had been thrown from her chair and onto the floor.
She groned and looked up.
The Bridge was a wreck with supports and bulckheads hanging from celings and jouting up from the floor.
Sveral small fires had broken out on diffrent parts of the room, luckly the forward viewing window haddent been breached.
The pony who had been at the weapons console was dead, his head smashed against the console with his blood covering it, his body leaning limply out of his seat.
The other surverving ponys were struggling to get up from where they had fallen.
Midnight heard wet coughing "Report!" Goldroot shouted just as another raking chough over came him.
"We took a direct hit, cant tell how bad it is though"
"Stars dead sir!"
Midnight clamberd onto her feet and made her way to the the bridge intercom which was stil intect.
Pressing the send button, spoke into it "Bridge to all decks, Report!"
"Crew deck here, we've got hull breachs down here but we've sealed them up"
"Hanger's fine, minor damage"
"Enginering to the Bridge, the core's going criticle! We've got 30 muenites untill they blow!"
"Shit" she turned back to the bridge "The core's going to blow, we got 45 meunites!"
"Sound general alarm" Goldroot said quitly "Abandon ship"
Midnight hit a large red button which was followed by a waling of sirens.
"Everypony abandon ship, I repeat, the Savannas lost abandon ship!" she yelled into the coms again, and then went over to Goldroot, who hadent moved from his chair.
"Sir? you ok?"
The old captain cooughed "I'm *cough!* fine..."
Midnight circled around to look at him and nearly screemed.
The captain had a large jagged stick of metal sticking out of his abdimon which was bleading uncontrolably, Goldroot had blood driping down him mouth where he had coughed it up.
"Goldroot!" she exclaimed as she ran to his side and looked at the wound.
"Get me some medi foam!"
One of the bridge crew ran to the back of the room and grabed the medkit and threw the red box over to her.
"You dont *Cough! Cough!* have time for this" Goldroot told her "You all need to get to the hanger and get off this ship"
"Shut up and stay still" Midnight opend the box and pulled a small spray canister out, pulled the safty pin out and stuck its muzzle into Goldroots wound.
there was a hissing sound as the foam was pumped in, sealing his internal ingerys.
"Hang on, I'll pull this out..."
"No, I'll bleed out be *cough!* before you foam can do it's job"
"But we need to get you out of here" She said desprately.
"Midnight-" he said soothingly "Sompony has to give the dropships cover from the Manehatten"
The helms pony had pushed the dead Star off his seat and began studying the readout.
"Sir... we dont have the firepower to bring down that thing" she said "We've lost cannons 2-4, the only things we have left are the point defence turrents and cannon 1"
Goldroot groaned "We have the mass" he let his words simmer.
"Do you mean your going to use the Savnna as a ram?"
Goldroot said nothing but shifted in his seat.
"Sir I am not leaving you here just so you can kill yourself like this!" Midnight shouted at him "The autopilot can handle it"
As if on que the helm console sparked violently quickly followed by a voice over the loudspeekers.
"Auto-pilot offline, manual control only"
Goldroot smiled sadly "that settls it" he said.
"Thats a one way trip" Midnigth told him.
"Everypony makes it sometime" he began coughing up blood but quickly brought it under control again "Listen kid... This is what I want, I'd rather die here on my own terms then on the floor of a dropship bleeding out"
Midnight said nothing, just barly holding back tears.
Goldroot sighed as he pulled his dogtags off his neck, unpinned his command pips and placed then into Midnight clawd hands "Your incharge now, make sure you get our ponys back home" he coughed "And *Cough!* Tell Buttercup... that nomatter what she thinks, I'm proud of her, and I'm sorry"
Midnight closed her eyes and clenched her hadn into a fist, the turned to the bridge crew "Go on ahead, I'll be right there"
The ponys nodded and exited the room quickly, leaving her and Goldroot alone.
Once she was sure they were gone seh began talking "Sir... You cant ask me to do this, Goldroor you've been like a father like me and I respect you more then even the princess's"
"If you respect me-" he started "Then let me do this"
Midnight attempted to protest but dicided against it, she know he was right.
Biting her lip, he nodded "Do you have any last requests?"
Goldroot nodded "Just send me out *Cough! Cough!* with a bang"
Midnight nodded, knowing what he wanted her to do.
She raised her hand up and saluted him "It's been a hounor serving with you Captain Goldroot"
He smiled "Same here... Captain Midnight"
She smiled and went over to the helm and began typeing.
"Helm and weapon controls transfering to captains chair"
A large pannle opend infront of Goldroots chair and a computer console rose up with a joystick.
Goldroot grabed hold of the joystick with one hoof and typed a command.
"Authorisation Required"
Midnight put in her Authorisation which made the console bleep three times which was followed by the coumputer voice booming over the whole ship.
"Selfdestruct initiated! all hands abandon ship! 35 muinuets untill ship destruction!"
Midnight closed her eyes at the anoucment and turned back to Goldroot, her amber eyes pleading "Sir...Are you sure about this?"
He nodded "Get going Captian, their going to need you down there"
Midnight began making her way past him and out the door, stealing a one last sad look at him before the door closed.

____________________________________________

20 muinuets later

Goldroot groaned inpain as he waited for the Dropships launch.
the Medi-foam was doing its job of keeping his internal ingurys from bleeading, but he could feel it waring off already.
The bridge coms crackled to life "Viper 2-3 to Bridge... We're away"
"Ok Viper 2-3, everypony follow me in, once I get his attention head straight to the Planet"
"Roger that"
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the joystick and sent the Savanna forward out of the shadow of the moon and in full view of the Manehatten.
without a thought he fired his only remaining cannon on the ship and begand charging towards it.
upon taking several direct hits, the Manehatten returned fire, many of the shots being dodged by Goldroots quick thinking, but everyonce and a while the Manehattend would get a luck shot which would rock the Savanna, but nomatter how much fire they took, the Savanna and Her captain didnt faulter and kept coming.
A warning poped up on his moniter, showing multiple red dots approching, upon first glance Goldroot could tell that they the missles wernt ment for him, but the dropships that he protected.
"Savanna to all ships You got *Cough!* missles inbound" Goldroot said into his mic "Gona try taking a few out"
"Affirmitve!"
the Point defence guns began roaring to life as they sent torrents of fire at the incoming missles, the round detonating most of them, but still a few got though.
The dropships dived, weeved and spun around avoiding the missles, fireing back with chainguns, Missles, and anything they had at their disposle.
the Ship was rocked as it was hit by another more harder hit which lit the screen up with warning signs.
"Cannon 1 offline"
Sparks began flying as more hits rocked the ship vilontly with more fire breaking out alover the bridge.
"Savanna are you ok?"
"Cannon 1's gone" Goldroot shouted over the sparks "I guess this is it"
He incressed the Savannas speed and sent her carraring towards the Manehatten.
The he heard a new voice over the radio.
"Dad... What are you doing?"
"Buttercup... I'm sorry but I have to do this but theres no other way"
"Yes there is" she yelled "we could land in the hanger and come and get you befor-"
"Thats not what he ment" Midnight said over the coms "He's been hit bad, he wouldnt make it even if we got him out"
Buttercup said nothing for a long while.
"50 seconds untill impact"
"Buttercup... Tell your mother *Cough!* Tell her that I'm sorry I couldnt make it back" he said as more hits rocked the ship "And nomatter what *cough! cough!* dont ever stop fighting"
"20 seconds untill impact"
The Manehatten doubled its efforts to destroy the kamakazi ship, pouring everything into the attack.
but by then it was too late, the fates of both ships were sealed.
"10!"
"Dad!"
"9!"
"Well this is it, good bye"
"8!"
Goldroot looked at the fast approching Manehatten and smiled.
"7!"
"And you-"
"6!"
He coughed.
"5!"
"You..."
"4!"
"I'll see you in hell"
"3"
He closed his eyes.
"2!"
"1!"
Everything went white.

____________________________________________

Buttercup screemed at the Savanna lit up as it crashed into the Manehatten, itd core exploding like a supernova.
"DAM YOU DAD!" she screemed, tears streaming down her face.
She wasnt the only one, pony on the dropship were ether crying or just standing there in silent shock.
"The bastards" sompony wisperd.
"Holdon everypony!" Dusty shouted as the Dropship began shaking "This is going to be a rough ride!"
Everypony scrambled to a seat and locked their safty restraints over them.
"Whats going on!" sompony shouted into their radio.
"The Manehatten and Savanna are breaking apart everywere" Dusty shouted back.
Buttercup listend to the exchange over her radio, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Sompony shook her "You ok?"
She shook her head.
"I just wish all this would end"
Buttercup leand her head against her chairs head rest and just let it out.

Chapter 14: (unedited)

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Chapter 14: (Unedited)

Midnight opend her eyes and frowned.
She was laying on her back looking up at a cloudy sky, it was snowing lightly and only once she knoticed this did she realise that she was coverd by a light blanket of it.
Midnight leand up groaning, shaking some of the snow off her.
She clutched her side as it burned in pain, clenching her teeth she survayd her srroundings.
She was in a forest with a thick conopy which had a large hole in it where the snow had fallen through onto her and the ground around her.
Midnight frowned as she tryd to remember how she had gotten there, she rememberd Goldroot crashing the Savanna into the Manehatten to give them a chance reach the surface, then her dropships pilot trying to keep the ship together as they enterd the planets atmoshpere and losing control, then... nothing.
Midnight checked herself over, she had cuts and bruses and she was prety sure that she had broken her wing again and a rib but other then that she was fine.
she shakaly got her to hooves and looked around her.
she saw a light coming from alittle away from her and dicided that checking it out was the best corse of action.
As she stumbled throught the foialage as towards the light, she found it getting warmer.
a moment later she found out why.
laying in ruins was her dropship, fires lighting it up in the darkness of the forest.
she looked up through the hole it had made when it crashed, judging by how high the sun was in the sky, it was early afternoon.
Midnight rushed over to the dropship, bodys of ponys litterd the ground around the ship, probably killed during the crash, none were moving.
But still she checked their pules just to be sure, then went over to the dropship to see if there was any survivors inside.
she tryd hiting the relese trigger for the main entry ramp but found the ramp wedged by a fallen tree.
She sighed "I just cant catch a breake today" she mutterd as she steped back and began cercling the dropship for any entrences.
She found one in the shape of hole in the side of the wrecked ship, which was partaly coverd by a piace of fallen hull which she easyly pulled away giving her entry.
Inside wasnt any better then the outside.
the dead were laying where they had fallen, some were still in their seats.
Midnight saw many more holes like the one she had come from.
"I must have been thrown out of one of those"
Midnight heard a groan from the cockpit.
after some struggling she pulled the door open and steped inside.
The Pilot was dead, his head half way though the cockpit canopy, his co pilot however was groaning loadly, his head laying on his console.
Midnight went over to him and began pulling him off his seat with both her magic and her hand and hoof and began draging him out of the cockpit into the troop section.
He groand again as his eyes flutterd open.
"Hey" she lightly slaped him on the cheek when he started losing consiosness "Stay with me trooper, Whats your name?"
The pony shook himself awake "P-Patch, Corpral Patch mam..."
The name fit, the Unicorn was light brown with a white patch over his left eye, his flight suit was riped to shreds which alowed Midnight ot see his cuitie mark, it was a chyane dropship with a star pattern behind it.
"Ok Patch-" she started "Tell me if this hurts..."
She began pressing down of random points on the pilots body which made him wince in pain.
"Yea, hurts every were" he hissed.
Midnight looked the pony over, he was bleeding from multipul cuts all over his body including a large looking one.
"Ok, I cant tell how bad he is or even if he's got any internal ingerys" she thought "Unless..."
Midnight quickly charged her horn and used her X.I.D spell on him, but insted of looking for Xenomorph infections, she had ulterd it to alow her to look at the co-pilots bones and organs.
The Unicorn had broken 3 ribs, his left hind leg and had, had his lung pirced by piace of glass.
She sighed as she let the spell dissapate.
"You've got a few broken ribs and your legs messed up prety bad" she told him "I'd pump you with some medi foam but a piace of glass pirced your lung, I've to go get it out first"
Patch looked at her worrydly "Um, are you quaifyd to do that?"
Midnight cracked a nervos grin as she got up "As much as any marine with basic feild training" she said.
She walked to the rear of the dropship, picking her way past the wreakage to the the medicald room.
After a full muinete of serching she found what remaind of the medical cabnet.
she quickly began raiding it of all its health potions, bandages and any medicen she could find.
Midnight also found 7 Med-kits and a field surgeon kit, She'd even found a flask of wisky which she was sure wasnt ment to be there.
She pulled the cover off the sheet that belonged to the overturned bed and stuffed the medical supplys into it and rushed back out to Patch who had pulled himself back against the wall siting up straight.
Midnight nealed down next to him "Ok... Ready to get this over with?" she asked.
"Just get on with it" he said.
Midnight pulled the flask of wisky from the makshif bag aswell as the field surgeon kit.
"Here-" she levitated it over to Patch "Found this in there"
Patch chuckled "So thats where that stalion hid it" He took a sip "Comon then, lets do this"
Midnight opend the kit and levitated a pair of tongs out and grabed it with her hand.
She stradyd Patch with her hoof and hoverd the tongs just above the wound and looked the pilot in the eyes "Ready?"
"Hang on" he took a long drink from the flask "Ok"
Midnight slowly pushed the tongs into the wound, making Patch hiss in pain.
after a few attempts she fiinaly got ahold on to piace of glass.
"Got it!"
"Then get it out!" the unicorn said through clenched teeth.
Midnight slowly pulled the glass though and out the wound and droped it onto the floor.
Patch gasped in releaf.
Midnight grabed a canister of medi-Foam and pumped it into the wound, making Patch wince at first but let out a Ahhh.
She looked at the glass she had pulled form him, it was smooth except for a sharp point at it tip.
"You may not be a full alicorn, but your can sure work some mircals" Patch said before taking another sip from the wisky.
"What happend?" she asked "All I remember was the pilot losing control, the next thing I know I'm laying face up a few meaters from here looking up though a hole in the forest canopie"
"Dam Girl" The co-pilot exclaimed "you must have been thrown out just before we hit the forest"
Midnight sat down and levitated a bandage and wraped her broken wing in a sling.
doing that she began scavanging the wreck for anything of use.
The weapons locker had been thrown clear of the dropship and many of the weapons inside were such a state that Midnight knew they would never fire again.
In the end she was able to salvage a single pistol with 5 clips, a couple guarnades, some magic demolition carges and a canister of fuel for a flamer.
She climbed back into the wreck for the dropship to find Patch working on a radio with an engineering kit.
"What are you doing?" Midnight asked as she droped her loot.
"I'm trying to get this radio working" he said, levitating a screwdriver over the maciean "That emp from the Manehatten really did a number on the radios"
He lowerd the screwdriver into the radio only to recoil as it shocked the hoof he was using to sedy the macine. "Damit!"
Midnight stifled a laugh as Patch stuck the tip of his hoof into his mouth.
"Any Idea how far from the forest's edge we are?" she asked.
"I think we're just inside the forest" he said as he shook his hoof "I think I saw a cliff over looking the sea"
Midnights blood ran cold "Did you just say... A cliff over looking the sea?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"Yes, what the problem?"
Midnight got up "I think we sould bury the dead"

____________________________________________

The cliff was just like se rememberd from her dream.
She was on a cliff overlooking an alien sea, the snow falling lightly, but dispite this, there was no cloud in the sky.
Over the seas horizen they saw firey trails falling from the sky.
Patch gasped "Is that..."
He didnt need to finish, they both knew what they were seeing, the dibre from both the Manehatten and the Savanna burning up in the atmospheare.
Midnight reajusted the rope over her sholder, aswell as helping Patch along, she had piled he bodys of the dead onto a piace of hull and draged them behind her.
She leaned Patch against a fallen log and draged her dead cargo closer to the edge.
She droped the rope and went over to hastaly made tug and took out a shovel and began diging.
She dug deep into the day, making sure dead marine had their own grave under the snow.
By the time she was finished it was dark with the stars twinkling in the sky.
once she was finished and had colected the dogtags of every pony, she lifted the hull and dug it deep into the ground like a sign.
Upon it using her combat knife she inscribed each ponys name, adding Goldroot, Brightlance and the others who had died.
Once she was finished she steped back, tears trickling down her face.
"My you all find peace" she wisperd wipeing the tears away, the Dog tags she now carryd around her neck weighing her down.
Looking over the mamorial, she saw the sight she had been waiting for.
The Manehatten's main body falling down from the sky in a fireball.
"Captain watch out!"
Midnight slowly turned around, knowing what Patch was warning her about.
She didnt need warning though, she felt it coming through her hive sense as she had began calling it.
The Xenomorph Warrior began rushing at her, only thinking about the kill.
Had she been right in mind she might have just pulled her pistol out and shot it in the head, but at that moment she wasnt in the right mind.
She stood up on her hind legs and took a combat stance, letting some unknown instinct take over.
As the nightmarish creture reached her, she thrust her clawed hand forward, grabed it by the face and threw it over her shoulder right to the edge of the cliff.
As it got up, Midnight finaly pulled her sidearm out "Comon you bucking bastard..." she mutterd.
The thing was more then happy to ablidge as it screeched and began rushing her again
She aimed and pulled the trigger, sending a round into the Xenos head with a loud bang, making it stumble backwards, green blood oezzing from the wound.
then it fell back, off the cliff.
she heard the things screech all the way down, then a sickly crack.
Patch looked at her shooked, his mouth hanging open.
"Dam it Mam, you're crazy!" he exclaimed.
Midnight walked over to him and helped him up "Comon-" she began walking back towards the forest "We'd better get back to the crash sight for the night"
With that, they left the cliff and enterd the darkness of the forest.