Out of the Old, Into the New

by SentientHydra


Chapter 8: Meanwhile,with the CMC

High above the three fillies, the scout lander soared through the wispy upper atmospshere, flying high and almost silent on ultra-jet engines, it kept its speed subsonic while it flew over the forest far below. With a tilt of control fins the craft rolled over and began a steep descent.

Inside the metal walls of the lander craft ten marines sat restrained by flight harnesses, they were not dressed in their power armour, instead they wore the un-powered but considerably lighter, 'Nomad' Mark II scout armour; a newly designed suit made of flexible polymer plates joined by super-silk webbing, all covered by a tight weave of 'smart fabric' -Polymer strands laced with electronics, the fabric shifted colour and texture to match that of its surroundings.

Each of the marines wore a breather mask and thermal goggles, and instead of their standard heavy rifles they were armed with sniper rifles (able to accurately fire the standard 'hard' or 'soft' ammo at ranges of more than five miles) and hand-cannon pistols.

The pilot's voice rang through the speakers on the walls “Okay boys, I've spotted a clearing in the forest, I'll set you down there and let you get on with the search. I have four more trips to go, so forgive me if I don't hang around. Landing in five, get locked and loaded.”


Everfree Forest – Zecora's house

In the wild tangle of the Everfree woods there sat a mud-walled hut with masks and fetishes hanging off and leaning on the outside. It was a zone of silence in the otherwise noisy night, save for the crackle of fire inside and the sound of a gentle voice, seeping out through the wood-panel door

“I am sorry to bring your journey to an end, but if I did not, I would not be a friend” Zecora spoke apologetically “the forest at night is a danger to all, especially to fillies that are so cute and small” moving about her hut slowly and picking through the bundles and jars of dried herbs and plants that adorned her shelves.

Scootaloo wore a sulk while she fidgeted on her seat “It's not that dangerous...”

The zebra picked a bundle of dried leaves off the shelf, clicking in annoyance and chiding the pegasus foal “Your little tongue speaks nothing but lies, the truth is betrayed by the fear in your eyes.
The beasts of the forest could gobble you up with room to spare, so sit silent foolish filly until you are out of my hair.”

Scootaloo stilled, but grumbled “That was a terrible rhyme”

Zecora tossed the bundle into a bubbling pot and stirred the water with a stick, replying with haste, irritation laid on thick “I am sorry dear Scootaloo, if I seem tired and stressed. Unexpected guests have burst in and disturbed my night's rest”

The orange filly looked indignant and was about to respond, but her mouth was suddenly plugged by both of her friend's hooves. Applebloom looked apologetic and embarrassed, her voice was laden with the same tone “We're sorry Zecora. We didn't mean to wake you up. We were just wondering what the thing that landed in the forest was.”

Zecora stopped stirring and walked off again, this time plucking four bowls off their hook, balancing them on her head she turned to the filly with a curious look “I admit Applebloom that I now want to know, what is this 'thing' that intrigued you so? Whatever it was must have made quite the mark, if you took leave of your senses, to enter Everfree in the dark”

Applebloom rubbed the back of her head sheepishly “Ah dunno what it looked like, Scootaloo's the only one that saw the thing. But ah do know that it made a noise a like a lightning-storm, 'cept it went on longer”

Before Zecora could respond Scootaloo finally managed to yank her friend's hooves from her mouth, glaring at them both before answering “It looked like a really huge bird made out of metal, with stubby wings. There were four big flames coming out of the bottom when it started to slow down”

Zecora hummed thoughtfully, unable to speak while her mouth was holding a long ladle to pour out steaming tea into the bowls from the pot.

Passing out the aromatic brew with spoonful's of honey to sweeten it, she sipped her own and wondered “I was asleep and content in my dreams, safe from the thunderous noise it seems. I know not anything like it in myth or in history, what you describe is a true mystery. If it sounds like a storm a thunder-bird seems to fit, but to shoot flames as well changes it a bit.”

Sweetie Belle glanced to her compatriots, they traded smile over there tea bowls before the little unicorn queried “So.. you want to know what it is?”

Zecora watched the little exchange of glances with half curiosity, half suspicion before agreeing hesitantly “Yes little filly I am intrigued to say the least. I know this forest too well to not know of such a beast.”

Scootaloo smiled wider, sipping the cooling tea appreciatively she spoke suggestively “Well if you want to go see it. Then we don't have to go alone”

The striped herbalist shook her head, chuckling “I see now your plan my little friend, but I must say that you pursue a dead end. Even I am afraid to enter the forest at night, so I-” she paused, looking at the pegasus foal, who was suddenly staring wide-eyed at one wall.

“Little Scootaloo, does my wall somehow bother you?” she placed her bowl down and trotted over, but as the zebra raised her hoof to tap Scootaloo, the tiny orange filly held her own up in a 'shush' gesture

“Can't you hear it?” Scootaloo growled, leaping off her stool and spilling her tea in her haste to press one ear to the wall “That sound.. It's the creature again!”

As silence filled the hut they could all hear it. Noise like a growling beast, growing in volume and backed by a slowly rising whine, the three fillies abandoned their chairs and their bowls to rush to the window, jostling for position.

Zecora walked to the door and unlocked it with her key, taking up a long heavy staff the zebra stepped out of the hut to stare into the sky, her long mane bending in the wind. After a moment the three fillies joined her, clustering around the larger mare's legs as the storm-cloud roar came closer, heading towards them faster and faster with the whine that rode under it building to a banshee wail..



The crusaders were hidden from sight momentarily when the thing passed over as Zecora clamped down in fear, instinct taking over to make her cover the three protectively with her body, letting a near scream of shock escape her lips. The 'thing' was big, the shadow against the stars was larger than Zecora's home thrice over, four tongues of near invisible flame spat from four tubes on the stubby wings as it screamed and roared across the sky only a few dozen feet from the tree-tops.

Then it was gone, when the girls had struggled from under the shivering zebra's bulk they all looked up, to where the giant thing was but a bright speck high up in the sky, the sound of thunder dying on the wind.
All four ponies ducked and yelped again as a thunderous crack of noise split night, the speck of the thing igniting in iridescence, smoke and fire pouring from it. Higher and higher he thing flew on its pillar of smoke, until the bright light faded into the clouds.

Zecora stopped her shivering, and let herself breath in more deeply. Leaning on her staff she closed her eyes “I think it would be best if we went inside, from such a thing we can but hide. Come on girls.. Girls?” Zecora opened her eyes and glanced around in panic when she realised that the three fillies were no longer clustered by her legs, they were in fact over there, disappearing into the dark forest towards wherever that thing took off from.

Applebloom stopped and turned, a smile on her face “C'mon Miss Zecora! It came from over here!” she called back briefly before turning around and running off into the shadows.

Zecora called them back three times before giving in, she stamped her foot in annoyance and scribbled a quick note on her door; she dumped the tea onto the fire to put it out, grabbed her heavy cloak and hooked a lamp on the end of her staff before hurrying off in pursuit, swearing under her breath in Zebrican


Forest landing zone

A marine sat perched in the limbs of a tree, watching the lander's burn for orbit through the scope of a rifle, when the secondary thrusters flared into life for the main boost the marine had to turn away, the light getting too bright to safely watch.

“How's the weather up there?” a voice came through the marine's implanted communicator, the sound being transmitted straight into her auditory nerve. Twitching her head in irritation the watcher in the tree snapped off a twig and flung it towards the ground

“Weather's fine Corp” she responded, opening the mic with a thought. Smirking slightly as the twig bounced off her Corporal's red pipped helmet “Though my mood might have been better if my squad-leader hadn't 'volunteered' me for sentry duty.”

The officer didn't move, his kneeling camouflaged form barely visible against the dense undergrowth. “I don't see what is quite so bad about sentry duty, it's important to keep the LZ clear.”

The arboreal marine shifted slightly on the branch, leaves rustled and fell but didn't reveal her outline “Important but boring Corp, I don't see why I have to stay up in this tree while the other boys get to have fun in the forest, I mean I have the best marksmanship scores out of our whole squad!” The sound baffling mouthpiece of the stealth helmet restrained the marine's outburst to a tiny whisper.


“But you also have the worst navigation, tracking and wilderness survival scores out of the whole platoon, you're a damn good sniper, but you suck at scouting.” The Corporal explained calmly, still unmoving.

The tree-marine grunted, swivelling around to look behind her “Yeah yeah whatever, I grew up on Mars, there isn't much call for wilderness survival when the planet's made out of barren rock, steel corridors and dry dust.”

The corporal was silent for a moment before speaking up “well what if you got stuck outside the colony with no supplies?”

“Then you're dead Sir. Mars isn't covered in all that 'tamed wilderness' stuff like earth. If you get lost on the red plains, you're dead.” She near enough growled.

There was an awkward silence in the air, the corporal shifted slightly, scanning the surroundings with his own rifle, the blackened and painted barrel perfectly camouflaged against the shrubbery.

A minute passed before the Corporal spoke up again “See anything in the area?”

The martian marine scanned all around, her heat sensitive goggles glowing slightly red in the darkness as she activated them “No, looks em- Wait yeah, Heat signatures approaching from 1000 metres at 1:00” her rifle came up in a snap, bringing the red blobs into higher magnification “Looks like three maybe four, one medium and two or three smaller. Non-Human outline”

The corporal's rifle whipped up to scan the same direction. He held the pose for a while as the targets got closer “Keep a bead on the lead signatures. Might just be an animal.” He ordered, watching the blobs of heat wind their way through the trees.

It was only moments before the three smaller shapes crashed through the undergrowth and stopped in the dark clearing. They were short quadrupeds, perhaps 3 foot tall, the things were brought to a halt by the leader of the three (who had twin tufts of feathers decorating its back), who glanced back to the followers with huge glimmering eyes and spoke in a high pitched voice “I think it came down around here, lets get searching” the group fell about searching the clearing

The tree-marine watched the scene and heard the words, her eyes went wide behind her goggle “they're adorable!” she exclaimed loudly, thankful for the sound-baffling on her mouthpiece, she lowered her rifle to her side and giggled “If they weren't sentient and doing so wouldn't break regulations I'd hop out of this tree right now and go hug one”

The corporal chuckled at the marines sudden attack of girlishness “They are cute little things huh. But I'm not so sure that's gibberish. I swear I've heard it before, just need to hear some more to be sure”

As if on cue, the last one on the scene (no feathers, but a bow was tied into its ponytail) stopped only a few feet from the hidden officer and yelled out “Ah found something, ah've found something!” the other two all hurried over.

The last of the quadrupeds (this one had pale fur and no feathers, a short horn jutted from its forehead) peered at where the bow-haired one pointed and asked “What is it?”

“It's a big scorch-mark, see where them plants is burned? A bet that's where that there creature landed.” the bowed one exclaimed with happy tones to her voice.

The group dissolved into a babble of voices, each debating about what the bow-haired one had found. The corporal listened carefully, as did the tree-bound marine, until the watcher in the branches broke the radio silence “Uh.. Still sounds like gibberish to me.”

The hidden corporal moved forward slightly, his movement only noticeable by the shifting of plants against the wind and the bickering quadrupeds didn't notice, though the feathered one did cock an ear and glance over. The officer spoke thoughtfully “No, not gibberish at all. Its a language from old earth, from before the United Solar Council invented standard. English”

The arboreal marine was silent for a few moments, watching the tiny creatures finally finish their argument and move away, only to converge once again on a set of marine footprints in the mud
“So the extra-dimensional aliens speak a language from Earth, I guess that's a vote for the 'Parallel Dimension' theory, weird but why should I care?”

The officer sounded pleased at the question “Simple, I know enough English from my history lessons to be at least understandable. Our mission is to gather information on the area, where better than a local to get information.” There was silence on the radio, so the corporal smiled “Here goes nothing” he stood up tall, making sure to make lots of rustling and noise as he straightened up and slung the heavy rifle on his back.

The attention of the three quadrupeds suddenly snapped to the now looming silhouette of the marine officer, the smart-fabric camouflage deactivating at the press of a switch, rendering the man completely visible. The little things shrunk back in fear at the glowing red eyes of the thermal goggles, but relaxed slowly when the corporal simply stood there, one hand reaching up and peeling away his mouthpiece to show the pale skin and smiling mouth underneath. Eventually, after much prodding from the companions, the feathered creature stood forward, gulping audibly before walking slowly towards the silent corporal.

Eventually it got within arm's reach, a limb was extended and the piccolo pipe of its voice came out in a stammer “H-hey there.. My name's Scootaloo, what's yours?”

The tiny Scootaloo nearly jumped out of its skin when the corporal knelt down and extended a gloved hand to softly wrap around the offered limb, his english speech was stilted and simplistic “Hello Scootaloo... I are Corporal Howard Hansen. Of star-boat 'New Dawn'. Happy to meet you”

The other two had grown more bold when Scootaloo had not immediately been eaten, they came up behind it and stood staring at the marine. After a moment, bow-hair giggled and said “Y'all talk funny mister, yer like one of them foals that can't talk right yet. Mah name's Applebloom by the way.”

While the Corporal tried to digest bow-hair's quick and heavily accented speech, Scootaloo took the opportunity to ask “Sorry about Applebloom Mister Hansen, she can be a bit rude. But what do you mean 'Starboat?' is that like a spaceship?”

Applebloom grumbled under her breath about being called rude, but didn't interrupt as Cpl Hansen found the words “no trouble for Applebloom, I are not good talker. For Space Ship.. Yes. New Dawn is 'Space-ship', we are travelling space.” He pointed up through the opening in the forest canopy, towards the distant silver glimmer in the night sky. “Can I ask Scootaloo and friend Are you Boy, or Girl? Calling you 'it' all time will be coming annoying”

Scootaloo looked confused at the terminology, looking grateful when horn-head came in with an answer “We're girls Mister Hansen, but I don't think many ponies use 'boy' or 'girl', most call it 'colt' or 'filly'”

Cpl Hansen nodded, but kept silent as Scootaloo spoke up again “you travel in space? You're an alien! That's so cool!”

The marine made to answer, but Applebloom interrupted “Are there more of you? Do you have a laser gun? Do you abduct cows? Because Daisy May has been getting real worried what with all them stories in the paper. Have you ever probed anyp-”

Her torrent of questions stopped when the officer raised his hand for silence and Scootaloo promptly plugged her friend's mouth with a hoof. Nodding thankfully the slightly beleaguered marine answered “Yes, there is more of us. No, Have no lasers. Not abduct cows No probes”

Sweetie Belle looked around the clearing “There are more aliens? Where?”

Hansen held up a finger for silence, then spoke Standard into his throat-mic “Private Kirk, get down here”

The radio erupted with a chuckle “Sorry sir, no can do. I'll just hang up here and provide backup sir”

“Backup? For what? I thought you were all for coming down to meet them”

“I am sir, but I have to provide backup for the thing you forgot”

The corporal scratched his head, there was a patter of feet behind him, but the marine ignored it “Forgot? What have I forgotten”

The three fillies behind Hansen all called out in a sing-song English “Hi Miss Zecora. Miss Zecora?”

The corporal whirled round, mouth open to ask who 'Miss Zecora' is.

The last thing he heard before the heavy end of a wooden staff smashed into the bridge of his nose was Private Kirk “There were four targets sir, this one looks a bit angry”