//------------------------------// // chapter 1 Liberation day // Story: Starcraft: Episode 1 Wings of Friendship // by yuginegi //------------------------------// Chapter 1 liberation day Twilight POV After drifting off to sleep under a huge Oak Tree Twilight suddenly awakes to the sound of music.                                                                                                                                                                                                                Music that’s weird, why is there music playing? Unless there is a party or a circus nearby, there shouldn’t be music this time of night. Come to think of it what time is it and where am I? Twilight slowly opens her eyes to take in her surroundings. When her eyes are fully open, she sees that she is no longer outside but inside what appears to be some type of bar. The music she hears is coming from a large rectangular box positioned on the wall in front of her. On the wall behind her, she sees the skull of an animal that she has never seen before. Below the skull are several photos with creatures that are foreign to her. They stand on their hind legs and have no hair on their bodies except on their head. Some of them have small beards, while others have small mustaches. On the left wall, there is a plaque with what appears to be a sheriff’s badge. Written on the badge is a name, probably belonging to one of the odd things in the photos. In the corner of the room three rectangular flat boxes hang on the wall, one large and two small. They look like televisions but, bigger and thinner than what she expected. Just then she hears a hissing sound coming from the door. It slides open to revel one of the creatures from the photo, only it appears to be much older.   Raynor POV Jim Raynor returns from investigating the strange energy reading his A.I. Adjutant reported an hour ago. A strange energy source has been spotted 10 miles from his location. He decides to go look with nothing but pistol in hand. Using his vulture bike, it takes him only a minute to arrive at the location. When he gets there, he sees something he does not expect to see out here on Mar Sara, six unconscious colorful ponies. Two have wings, two have horns, and two are regular ponies. On their flanks, each pony has a different picture. Five wear neckless with a crystal imbedded in them while the purple pony wears a crown with a crystal imbedded on top. These ponies are very different from pictures he has seen of Earth ponies. Perhaps they are a new breed of pony. It is possible they have been transported here by the Protoss for studying. That would explain the energy reading. Either way he can’t just leave them here to wander around the desert and starve. Even worse they could be found by loyalist forces and experimented on. He carefully places them on his bike and brings them back to his bar. The drive back is uneventful although, he doesn’t expect any trouble as they are in the middle of nowhere. Back at the bar he carefully lays them on the floor and decides to go back to the spot where he found them to see if he can find any clues as to how they got there. As he leaves he activates his terminal and the hologram of his AI upper. Adjutant I’m going out again I want you to look after our guest while I’m gone. If they wake before I get back give me a call. “Affirmative I will inform you when they awaken.” Having found nothing, he decides to check on his guest. He has many questions that need answers. Maybe the jewelry that they are wearing has something to do with them being here? Could they be a prototype for a new warp device for the Protoss? Why use ponies for test subjects? The Protoss protect endangered animals from becoming extinct and they study new species of animals so they can learn from them. Using animals as test subjects isn’t their way. He is determined to figure this out. He parks his bike he heads inside. As the door slides open he notices one of the ponies stirring and beginning to wake up.   Author's POV Twilight and Raynor are staring at each other until Raynor breaks eye contact and takes a seat at the bar. He lays his pistol beside him on the counter, grabs a bottle of light brown liquid, and pours himself a glass. You’re awake. That’s good for a moment I thought you might not wake up. Thank you for saving us Mr. um… Raynor is surprised by this, he knows these ponies are new breed but he didn’t expect them to talk. He decides to finish her sentence for her and give her his name. Jim, Jim Raynor but you can call me Raynor, all my friends do. Mind if I ask you name little lady, Jim ask twilight. My name is Twilight Sparkle but you can all me Twilight, all my friends do. Back in Equestria, where Twilight comes from, her friend Lyra is obsessed with proving the existence of human beings. Twilight is thinking that Raynor may in fact be a human.   I guess I owe Lyra an apology when we get home. I have seen many a strange things out here on Mar Sara but I never thought I’d see a talking pony. Mar Sara, I’ve never heard of that town is it new? Hearing Twilights words confirmed his suspicion that she and her friends were not form here. Mar Sara is not a town it’s a planet. Hearing what he said made Twilight freeze for a moment. Excuse me but it sounded like you said that the planet was called Mar Sara. I am fairly certain that it is called Equestria. It has been called that since before I was born. Maybe he was joking? No, this planet is called Mar Sara and has been for years. You little lady are on a different planet. Twilight begins to panic as the reality of the situation hits her like a ton of bricks. O no o no no no no no no no no no no no this is bad I meant for the spell to teleport the elements to me and my friends not teleport us to a new planet! What am I going to do? If we are on a different planet then how do we get home? I could try the spell again, but what if it doesn’t teleport us home; what if it teleports us to another planet, what if mmmrrmph, Raynor walks over and places his hand over her mouth to quiet her and calm her panic attack. Woah. slow down and start from the beginning. Tell me how you and your friends got here, where you came from, and about that jewelry you’re all wearing.   Twilight begins her story by telling him the history of Equestria. How the two princess Celestia and Luna defeated the spirit of chaos and how Luna was corrupted by her on jealousy and became Nightmare Moon. How Celestia had no choice but to banish her sister to the moon for a 1000 years. She told him how she and her friends went into the Everfree Forest to find the elements of harmony and then used them to defeat Nightmare Moon. She told him how the queen of the changelings Chrysalis brought her army to Canterlot where her brother lived. However, her brother Shining Armor and his soon to be bride Cadence used the power of love to defeat her.  She told him about Ponyville and the love she has for it and the ponies who live there. She told him about her five friends that are sleeping on the floor. Lastly, she told him that she had been working on a new spell that could teleport the elements of harmony to them. However, something must have gone wrong because here they were on Mar Sara with no sign of the elements of harmony. She takes a deep breath and steadies herself. Wow that’s a lot to take in. Just then the other ponies begin to stir. Twilight runs over to check on her friends. Are you girls ok? Applejack: Ow my head hurts what happened? Rainbow Dash: I’m ok over here! Rarity: I'm ok darling but what am I doing on the floor? Fluttershy: I’m ok I think? Pinkie Pie: Are we having a surprise party? Twilight sighs in relief knowing that her friends are ok. Girls there is someone I want you to meet, this is our new friend Raynor. Raynor these are my friends; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Nice to meet you all. Please let me know if I can do anything for you. Applejack: (tips her hat) It's nice to meet you to their partner. Rainbow Dash: It's good to meet you. You look like a cool dud to hang out with. Rarity: It's nice to meet you to darling and might I say what a lovely home you have here. Fluttershy: (shyly) Um it's nice to meet you to and um thank you for looking after my friends and I. Shaking his hand almost violently and bombarding him with questions… Pinkie Pie: (Extremely excited) Hey it’s nice to meet you! Can I call you Rayne or Ray or how about Jimmy? Whatcha think Jim Boy? Twilight clears her throat and explains the situation they are in. Applejack: So, let me see if I got this, you’re saying that we are on a completely different planet and that we may not have any way of getting home? Rainbow Dash: That’s both awesome and crazy at the same time! Fluttershy: What do we do now Twilight? I was just telling Raynor all about Equestria, Ponyville, and us. Now that we are all awake we should hear his story. Everyone staring at him is making him uncomfortable. He thinks for a moment trying to decide if he should share his story or not. Since, Twilight had shared their stories he figures he should tell them his. Alright ladies, I suggest you all take a seat, this is going to be a long story. Raynor tells them about how the Terran formed the colonies, a corrupt confederacy, and discovered the Protoss and the Zerg. How the sons of Koprulu were made and how he joined them. He shared about meeting Kerrigan, and how she was a former ghost operative that shared his desire for a liberated Koprulu. He then told them about Mengsk, the spaceship he lives on that circles around Mar Sara, and his desire to annihilate the Zerg. How the Protoss were against him and that he sent Kerrigan down to Mar Sara to stop them from interfering. Mengsk left her on the planet to die and when he went to the surface to look for her there was no trace. After the confederacy was destroyed Mengsk crowned himself as ruler and leader of the Terran. He told of how it has become his mission to stand against Mengsk and his evil forces. Wow Raynor you have been through so much. Fluttershy: (with tears in her eyes) Oh Raynor I am sorry you lost Kerrigan. It must have been hard on you all these years. Now don't start crying on me. It’s oaky you don’t have to feel sorry for me. It was my fault for trusting Mengsk in the first place. Rainbow Dash: (stamping her hooves) That’s hard man. I mean to go through all of that and to lose the girl you love and then be called a terrorist, that’s just wrong just wrong. Twilight is very affected by his story. She doesn’t understand how someone be so cruel. This was more that she could ever imagine. So, what does an ex-soldier do with his time? Well, I’m the sheriff here and the leader of the resistance. But, I’m really just waiting around for my next mission. Just then Twilight feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns to find Applejack trying to get her attention. Applejack motions for her to speak in private. Could you excuse I need to have a word with my friends? Twilight and her friends move to the other side of the room to talk. Rarity: So, Twilight darling what do we do now? I honestly don't know what to do. I mean we are on a different planet and I don't know any spells to get us back home. Rainbow Dash: If you don't know how to get us home then who in this world does? Fluttershy: (timidly raising her hoof) Um, maybe we could ask Mr. Raynor if he could help us get home? Applejack: It might be the best idea we could come up with right now. Rainbow Dash: (looking to Twilight)  I gotta agree with AJ on this one, unless some pony can come up with a better idea I'm going with Fluttershy’s plan. Knowing that they have no other options Twilight gives her friends a reassuring smile and nods her head. Alright let’s ask Raynor if he can get us home. Um, excuse me Raynor. Yes little lady… Here’s the deal, we don’t know how to get home and we were wondering if you would help us? Raynor thought about this for a moment. Well I know I can’t do anything from here but maybe there is a way I could help you on my ship. Fluttershy: Would you really do that for us? Of course, I will. I can’t not help you ladies. I promise that I will do all I can to get you home. Thank you Raynor, I don't know how we can ever repay you for your kindness. No need little lady I am just doing what I think is right. The TV in the corner of the room comes on: Earlier today, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk held a press conference commemorating the end of the so called Drood War four years ago.  Our own Kate Lockwell was on the scene. Kate: Emperor, a new Zerg invasion could happen any day however, instead of expanding our fleets, you've spent billions of dollars on hunting down rebels like Jim Raynor. Mengsk:  Jim Raynor is a threat to humanity! He is the leader of a band of renegades. They have taken weapons and continue to defy my authority. During Mengsk’s speech Raynor pulls a picture of a red headed woman from his pocket. Rainbow flies over to get a closer look. Rainbow Dash: Is the her? Taking his eyes off the photo he looks at her. Yes, this is my Kerrigan. Fluttershy: She is very beautiful.  Yeah, she was. Mengsk: I can guarantee with certainty that he will be captured and answer for his crimes. Faster than any of the gir’s could blink Raynor draws his revolver, points it at the TV, and blast a hole in Mengsks face. It ain’t over till it’s over you son of a b… He sighs and turns to his monitor and presses a button. The hologram of a woman pops up. Adjutant, are my troop ready yet?  Your forces are prepared and awaiting your orders, commander.  Uploading tactical data now.  Good. It’s about time we kick this revolution into overdrive. Raynor begins to gather his gear. Sorry about this but I need to take care of this now. Please stay here and wait for me.  Twilight and her friends exchange glances and nod at one another, knowing that they all had the same idea. Raynor, my friends and I are thinking that, since you are going to help us get home, we want to help you with this revolution.  The other five ponies shake their heads in agreement. Raynor looks at them with worry on his face.  Now I don't know about that; you girls don't look like you have what it takes to handle a fight.  And besides this isn't your fight. There no need for all of you to put yourselves at risk. We may not have experience with humans and the kind of fighting they do but we do know a lot about friendship and loyalty. We don’t want you to hurt anymore. He looks at his new friends and sees their determination and spirit.  He does not want to involve them but he knows he can use all the help he can get. I will let you help but you all need to listen closely to everything I say. Y’all got that? Applejack: (crossing her hoof over her heart) You have my word as the element of honesty.  Rainbow Dash: (thrusting her hoof in the air) You can count on me to stick with you all the way! Rarity: I’ll do whatever you say darling as long if you are a gentleman.  Fluttershy: (mustering as much courage as she can) I may not be able to do much but I well do all I can.   Pinkie Pie: Cross my heart and hope to die stick a cupcake in my eye! You can count on all of us Raynor.  You little ladies are now a part of Jim’s Raiders. Adjutant, what do you have for us? “Dominion forces have set up headquarters in the town of Backwater Station. This is the hub for operations on Mar Sara. The Dominion recently pulled many of their troops out of the city leaving it largely unmanned.”  Are the locals cooperating? “Backwater Station is known to be anti-Dominion. However, they lack weapons and organization.”  If we can get headquarters under our control it would weaken Mengsk. Rainbow Dash: So, all we need to do is take that headquarters and any bad guys along the way, right?  Yep that’s right, but it won’t be easy. Adjutant prep my ship we’re going in. The trip to Backwater Station takes about an hour. As they near the landing point Raynor begins his rally speech.  Alright boys and girls, let’s show the locals that they don't need to fear the Dominion. As the group of six humans and six ponies begin to move forward Raynor turns to the girls. Alright girls stay with the group and don't leave our sight, got it? As they begin to move Raynor shouts to his men… Keep your intervals wide, your eyes open, and your asses covered.  Let's move! As they follow the road Twilight and her friends look around to see the destruction left behind by the Dominion. A short way down the road they spot an old woman. Woman: Don't go up that road. They pay her no attention and continue along the road. Further down the road as they around a curve they see a large sign. Standing in front are three human soldiers in red armor. Recognition comes across the soldiers faces. Raynor? Kill him! They begin firing at Raynor and his party. Twilight and her friends take cover as the gunfight ensues. The fight is over quickly and all three soldiers lay dead. Raynor calls to the girls that it is safe to come out. After regrouping they walk on and come across a device with a hologram of Mengsk in it. He repeats his message on a continuous loop. “Keep a close watch on your neighbors. Dissent will only slow our progress.” “Commander, destroying the Dominion holo boards will help incite rebellion against the Dominion.” Rainbow Dash: So, if we want to start trouble for the Dominion, we need to destroy that holo thing? Raynor looks at the holo board with a smirk. I’m getting mighty tired of seeing Mengsk’s face! Blast it! His men open fire and destroy it. Moving further down the road Raynor realizes that there is a stunning lack of people. Where is everyone? They come upon two Dominion Marines armed and reedy to fight. The girls take cover as Raynor and his men take them out. Moving on they see a man standing by the road. My neighbors. My family.  This is starting to look ugly.  They come upon an area filled with Dominion Marines and ships. Twilight has a look of confusion and wants to ask questions. It’s seems as though Adjutant reads her mind. Commander, a large Dominion force is gathering in the center of town.  It's time to call that special deliver we talked about.  Pods begin to drop from the sky. As the pods touch down radars came out and be begin to fire at the Dominion forces. While Raynor and his men take out the Dominion forces Twilight and her friends take out the holoboard in the Middle of the area. Mengsk’s hologram says: Work hard. Stand proud. We must all sacrifice for the glory of the Dominion. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie attack the holoboard. Twilight shoots a magic missal at it while Applejack bucks at it. Pinkie Pie loads a bunch of large rocks into her party canon and fires at it. Rainbow Dash flies up into the sky and comes back with a cloud of lightning that she kicks at the holoboard. Raynor and his men have just taken out the last of the Dominion forces as the girls destroy the holoboard. The men who come from the pods look to Raynor.  Thanks for the assist! We're with you Raynor!, are the shouts heard from Raynor’s men. Raynor looks at the girls and smirks. Excellent job girls keep up the good work.  Twilight and her friends smile at his words. The group investigates the road to the right to see if there are more Dominion forces. They come across two Dominion Marines standing by a holoboard. It's Raynor, the most wanted man in the Dominion! The men are shot down before they can even reach for their weapons. safeguarding our communities.”  Raynor’s men and Twilight shot and destroy the holoboard. Further up the path they find a long line of civilians being forced into transpiration ships by Dominion forces. Dominion Marine: You will all receive a meal when we reach the dig sit. Civilian: My brother went off to the mine last week and never returned! He turns and attempts to run away. Dominion Marine: We got a runner.  One of the Marines shoots the man before he can get away. They're shooting civilians! Move in! Raynor and his men take out the Marines and start shooting at the transpiration ship. After the ship is destroyed Raynor looks sad and thinks to himself, Mengsk has a lot to pay for.  Civilian: Thank you Raynor! We knew you wouldn't forget us! There are more people ahead. I'll see to them, let’s move out.   Civilian: Marshal Raynor it’s been awhile since we saw you around here. We're with you and your raiders.  Raynor and his men charge into the Dominion headquarters and begin shooting. The civilians destroy buildings and statues by throwing fire bottles at them. Dominion Officer: This is a restricted area; you insurgents are under arrest! Civilian: We got ya back Raynor! Raynor, his men, and the civilian forces attack the Dominion forces. Twilight tries to help but instead she gains the attention of five Dominion soldiers. Applejack: Uh oh girls this isn’t good. Dominion Soldier: (pointing his gun at the ponies) What the hell do we have here? Fluttershy drops to her knees in terror as the men get closer and closer. The men stop as Rarity steps forward.  Rarity: (trying to be brave) Now you listen here you brute, don't come any closer or you’ll be sorry.  Dominion Soldier: What the hell it talks.  Dominion Soldier 2: What do we do with them?  Dominion Soldier: I think we should take them back to the lab for the boys to figure out. Rainbow Dash: (flying at the soldiers) We're not going anywhere without a fight. As she flew at them one shoots at her wing. Rainbow cries out in pain. Twilight shoots a beam of magic at him but as it makes contact it bounces right of his armor. The soldiers laugh at Twilights attack.  Dominion Soldier: (looking at his buddies) Was that supposed to hurt? Let’s get them and get out of here. Looking around in panic Twilight tries to find something to help her and her friends out of this situation. She spots a gun on one of the dead soldiers and uses her magic to lift it and point it at the soldiers. They begin to laugh at Twilight as she pointed the gun at them. Dominion Soldier: Look at this, it’s trying to scare us.  Do you even know how to use that thing?  Twilight looks at each of her friends and sees the fear in their eyes. Fluttershy was curled up in the fetal position and Pinkie was shaking like crazy. Rarity wad trying to stop the bleeding in Rainbows wing while Applejack was trying to look tough for her friends. Twilight knows she must do something now or she and her friends will die here. She musters all her courage and tries to encourage friends. Don't give up hope girls. I know things look hopeless right now but we can't give up. We promised to help Raynor so we must be brave. Also, if we quit now we will never get home. As she continues with her speech each of her friends starts to regain their morale.  I know we are not used to this sort of fighting but we must do what we can to help Raynor. We may not have the strength, the technology, or the skills that they do but we will never let evil win! As she finishes her speech each of the girls stand and begin to glow faintly. The soldiers each back off in surprise. They began to glow brighter and brighter. The glow becomes so blinding that it blinds all who look upon it. The light dims and everyone looks at the ponies. Only now they are not ponies but human girls outfitted and ready for battle. Rainbow Dash is in Reaper armor and armed with two assault pistols. Her armor is blue like her body. Her jetpack wings are light blue and her gasmask is rainbow like her hair.  Applejack is in Marauder armor and armed with a double barrel shotgun with a revolver attached to the barrel. Her armor is orange like her body. Her shoulder pads and knee pads are yellow.  Pinkie Pie is in Ghost armor and armed with a C-20A Canister Rifle. Her armor is light pink like her body. Her shoulder pads are dark pink. Fluttershy is in Medic armor and armed with a C-14 Rifle and has a HEV rifle strapped on her back. She is equipped with two healing generators on her shoulders. Her armor is yellow and her shoulder and knee pads are pink.  Rarity and Twilight are both in Marine armor. Rarity’s armor is white with dark purple shoulder and knee pads. She is armed with a Chain Gun and two revolvers for her side arms. Twilight’s armor is violet purple like her body with indigo shoulder and knee pads. Each pad also has a pink strip. She is armed with a burst rifle. Raynor, his men, and the Dominion Marines are in shock at what they see. Rarity: (looking at her new form and gear) What happened to us? Applejack: I don't now but I fell a lot stronger.  Twilight is amazed but unsure of how it happened. She looks at Rainbow hovering above the ground. Rainbow Dash: (flying at one of the soldiers) I don't know but I think someone’s about to get their flanks kicked. She rams the soldier at blinding speed, hitting him in the chest. He goes flying back 30 feet into a wall making a giant crater in it. Her friends were speechless! The Dominion Marines had no idea how to react. As the soldier got back on his feet he looks at Rainbow Dash in anger. He picks up his gun and looks to his comrades.  Dominion Marine: Shoot them! Kill them kill them all! Rainbow sees the attack coming and with a speed she never knew she had, she flies up into the sky and dodges the bullets. She shoots back at the soldier with her two assault pistols, each bullet hitting its mark. The remaining Dominion Marines open fire at Twilight and her friends but before the bullets make contact Rarity raises her hands to shield herself. To her surprise a barrier appears in front of her and her friends. Twilight and the others take cover while Rarity protects them from the Dominion Marines rapid fire of bullets. Rarity takes cover with her friends and pulls out her revolver. She has never used a gun in her life, yet somehow, she uses it with such grace and precision that you would think she has been using one all her life. Pinkie Pie peeks out but the Dominion Marines are not giving her the chance to shot back at them. She needs to find a way to get to them without them seeing her. As if on cue her body starts to disappear. Pinkie takes this as a chance to jump into action. As her body disappears completely she leaps from her hiding spot and runs to one of the Dominion Marines. She is able to dodge all of the bullets. Dominion Marine: (his gun trained on Twilight) I got you now.  He pulls the trigger on his rifle. Just then without him noticing Pinkie Pie starts to reappear on his shoulder. Pinkie: (with a smile on her face) And just what do you think you’re doing? Pinkie jumps off the Marines shoulders as he turns to shoot at her but he misses every shot. Applejack takes the opportunity and runs at one of the soldiers. As she nears them the four remaining soldiers start to shoot at her. Seeing that her friend is in danger Rarity produces a shield around Applejack to protect her from the bullets. This surprises the soldier and leaves him open for Applejack to ram into him. He goes flying through the wall of a building. Helping A.J., Fluttershy looks through the scope of her rifle and takes aim at the soldier. Before the soldier can pull the trigger, he finds his rifle blown in half by a sniper shot from Fluttershy. Standing dumbfounded with his guard down A.J. takes him out with a single shot. One of the soldiers separates from the group to look for the invisible Pinkie Pie. He is sweating inside his armor as he is looking for a ghost! Pinkie Pie: Here I am, nope here I am, wait I’m over here, or maybe I’m over here, but then again maybe I’m not really here at all. The soldier fires each time Pinkie appears but he is nowhere near fast enough. He does not notice a statue of Mengsk falling towards him. He is pinned and unable to push the statue off. The statue begins to feel heavier and he soon finds out why. Pinkie reappears on top of the statue with her Canister Rifle pointed at his face. Pinkie Pie: (as she shoots him in the face) Tag your it! The fighting was finishing up. Rainbow was still in the sky and now all of a sudden had two Viking ships on her tail. She has an idea. She stops and lets them fly past her. She then lands on top of the other Viking. She taps on the window to get the pilots attention. He hears the tapping and sees her crouched on the window with a large grin on her face. She then shoots the pilot, killing him instantly, causing the ship to crash. She jumps off the Viking and lands safety on the ground as it explodes behind her. Twilight sees the last solder taking aim at Rainbow. She forces her magical energy into her hands ready to cast a spell on the soldier. She then uses the energy in her hands to grab the soldier and lift him up into the air. She takes aim and kills him with one burst of fire. After the last enemy slider, Twilight and her friends regroup with each other. Is everyone alright? Rarity: What happened to us Twilight? How is this even possible? Twilight was wondering that herself but the battle was still going on and she knew she did not have time to stand there and talk about it. I know you all must have a lot of questions. I know I do. However, the battle is not over. Raynor, his men, and the civilians are out there still fighting for their freedom. We made a promise to Raynor, and with these new bodies we can now help him to the fullest. Are we just going to stand here and do nothing or are we going to help our friend?  Each of her friends nodded in agreement. Twilight smiles at her friends and turns to look at the battle in front of her. She looks to her friends one last time, nods her head at them, lets lose a battle cry, and charges straight to the battle. Her friends follow her example, yell battle cries, and run into the fray. As Raynor takes down a Dominion soldier he hears the battle cry of Twilight and her friends. He smiles with relief knowing that his friends are ok. Aright boys play time is over. Let’s push the Dominion out of town and show them what we and are new friends are made of. He lets out his own battle cry and they begin to fire on the logistics headquarters. Soon enough the building explodes and collapses in on itself. The civilians cheer knowing that the battle is won.  Woman Civilian: (hugging a man) I didn’t think we could fight them, but we can! Now you have the weapons and the resources to do it. Remember, Mengsk can only control you if you let him.  Raynor turns to the girls with a serious look on his face. We need to talk. Twilight nods in agreement. Yes, but I don’t think this is the right place. Raynor and the girls walk out of the town to get to the drop-off point.    Scene change, Raynors bar, one hour later.  When Raynor and the girls return to the bar, Raynor retreats to a back room where he changes out of his armor. When he returns he takes a seat at the bar. Aright girls time to get down to the nitty gritty. How were you able to transform from ponies to humans? He pours a drink and waits for an answer. Twilight look to each of her friends as she tries to come up with an answer. I honestly don’t how this happened. I didn’t know it could happen! As I transformed, I felt like there was a familiar feeling. It was the same as when I use the Elements of Harmony.  The girls are nod in agreement. Raynor takes a sip of his drink. I thought you girls didn’t have any fighting experience? Twilight taps her chin in thought. That was a good question, how were they able to fight like that? I don’t know how to explain it, but when we transformed I just knew how to do it. Again, the other girls shake their heads in agreement. As Raynor, Twilight, and the other girls are thinking a small light starts to glow on their chest plates. This surprises them and Twilight is the first to react. She moves her right hand to her chest. As her hand makes contact she hears a hissing sound coming from the chest plate. It opens to reveal an eight-pointed pink star. My Element of Harmony how did this get here?  So, that’s what you’ve been talking about? It is and now that I see it I think I know how were able to transform.  However, before I can confirm my theory I need to know if you girls have yours as well. They each check their for their elements. As each of their hands made contact with their chest plate, they were all met with the same result. Repeating what Twilight had done each of the girls do the same and each reveals their Elements of Harmony. Rarity: How do we all have our elements? Twilight looks at everyone as she began to explain. I believe that when I cast that new spell, not only did it teleport us here but it somehow merged our elements with us.  Rainbow Dash: (with a confused look) That’s interesting and all but how does that explain transforming from ponies to humans?  Well Rainbow if you let me finish I will explain how. You see when the elements merge with us they also connect with our minds. When we needed a way to defend ourselves the elements activated a power inside of us. Hence transforming us into human and giving us armor, weapons, and the skills to defend ourselves.  Each of them nod their head in understanding. Raynor takes a sip of his drink as he takes the information in. If this is true, do you still remember how to do any of the stuff you did out there?  Sadly, no. After the battle was over, the knowledge seemed to disappear as though it was never there. Rainbow Dash is the first to give out her opinion.  Rainbow: (throwing her hands in the air) So, we have this cool armor and cool stuff but we don’t know how to use any of it? Pinkie: (pouring herself a drink) Maybe it will come back to us when we go back into battle? Raynor grabs her cup and shakes his head. Fluttershy: (twirling a piece of hair) Then what are we supposed to do now that we can’t defend ourselves? Raynor comes up with an idea and snaps his fingers to get their attention. Well, I think there is only one thing to do. I’ll just have to train you myself. You would do that for us?  Raynor smiles at her question. Yes, ma’am I sure would. Applejack: But why would you go out of your way to train us? Raynor’s face becomes serious.  Well little ladies I made a promise to help you get home and you made a promise to help me in my revolution. After what happened today I know that if we’re going to get through this we are going have to work together. I always keep my promises. The girls look at him with smiles on their faces. He was going to help them and they were going to help him. Raynor was welling to train them so they could help him. They were now more determined than ever to help Raynor in his fight against the Dominion. Twilight steps in front of Raynor and looks him in the eyes.  Raynor, I know I may not have much to offer but, I promise as the element of magic I well stand by your side till the very end.  Raynor shakes her hand. I look forward to working with you.  Applejack: That goes for the rest of us as well. Rainbow: (wearing a smirk) So, when do we started with the training? Raynor smiles knowing they are ready, they won’t back down, and that they could handle anything that comes their way. We start bright and early tomorrow morning; I’m going to train you to be the very best! At that moment Pinkie jumps in the middle of the group with an enormous smile on her face.  Pinkie: In that case, how about we have a party to celebrate, our new friend and our first victory in battle!  Well little lady I don’t know how we are going to have a party here. I don’t have any party supplies for us to use.  Pinkie: Oh, Raynor my friend, one thing you will learn about me is that I am ALWAYS prepared for a party! Here’s my party cannon. I NEVER leave home without it!                      Raynor is surprised to see the entire bar decorated with just one shot of her party cannon. Twilight shakes her head and smiles at Raynor. Joining the rest of her friends Twilight turns to Raynor and says, you get used to it sooner or later! Raynor just smiles as he joins the party. They all know that after this party is over the real test will begin.