//------------------------------// // Truly Alien // Story: The Infestation of Equiss Prime // by Jest //------------------------------// Proceeding down the relatively normal flight of stairs, the small squad remained silent, with only their boots breaking the quiet. Twilight had chosen to hang back along with Fluttershy who was the second last in the long line of black-armored soldiers. Their steps were hasty, and soon they had descended down into the first real floor of the abandoned office building. Some signs of zerg infestation were visible along the walls and floors, though it was minimal, with the building having been mostly ignored by the black queen. Twilight couldn't fathom why her other self would leave this building unconverted, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She also didn't give the dusty cubicles more than a single glance before entering a second staircase and going down even further. Ahead of her, the rest of the girls remained relatively silent, their weapons raised and ready to unleash lethal force at a moment’s notice. It turned out to be unnecessary, as there wasn't so much as a single zerg guard posted anywhere in the structure. That was until they found the bridge between the office building and the citadel of flesh, which had a small group of zerglings standing outside it. “Allow me,” Twilight whispered. Sunset held out a hand, stopping the infested woman from moving out from their hiding spot. “No, wait. I want to test something,” Sunset Shimmer interjected. Twilight shrugged and settled back down again. “Go ahead, but try to leave one that I can interrogate.” “I’ll try,” Sunset replied. “What's the plan, boss lady?” Applejack whispered. “Just testing a spell. Stay back here unless something goes wrong. I shouldn't be long,” Sunset answered. “Be safe,” Fluttershy whispered. Sunset nodded and walked away, her hands beginning to glow as she moved, conjuring a bright blue ball of flame. It wasn't far until the zerglings noticed her presence and let out a shriek before charging her with all the fury they could muster. They didn't even make it halfway down the hallway before Sunset thrust her hands towards them, palms out and fingers splayed. The ball of blue fire shot into the middle of the creatures before exploding with a strangely suppressed thwomp. Though it didn't sound that intimidating, it certainly was effective, with the entire group having been reduced to little more than ash. The hallway itself wasn't overly damaged, with the zerg growth having somehow managed to absorb the majority of the heat. “Woah,” Rainbow Dash murmured through the radio. “Is everyone’s seals secure?” Sunset inquired as she walked back to the group. “We are ready when you are,” Rarity replied. Applejack rapped a knuckle on the side of her helmet. “You betcha. Let's go kick some ass.” “Right. You girls secure that entrance,” Sunset began, gesturing to the flesh-covered door nearby. “I need to speak to Twilight for a moment.” Twilight raised an eyebrow as the others all moved to follow their leader’s orders, while Sunset walked up next to the towering infested. “How does it feel?” Twilight offered. “Amazing,” Sunset Shimmer replied without hesitation. “But that's not what I was hoping to talk to you about.” “Then what is it?” Twilight prompted. Sunset frowned behind her helmet. “Are you sure you're not going to stay and help us?” “Have I not done enough?” Twilight retorted. “You’ve done more than most could hope to accomplish,” Sunset admitted. Twilight sighed and ran a metal hand down her face. “Look, I know you mean well, but I simply can't. My people need me, and I’ve been gone for far too long as it is.” Sunset nodded slowly. “I know it's selfish, but with your help this fight would be far easier.” “Which is why it's so hard to leave you guys,” Twilight remarked. “My assistance would be considerable, but I also don't feel like things would turn out for the best if I stayed.” “What do you mean?” Sunset questioned. “This world isn't mine, and its problems aren't my own,” Twilight began. “Something tells me that you should be the one to decide its fate, and not me.” Sunset Shimmer hummed thoughtfully as she stared at the assembled soldiers waiting patiently for her. “I suppose so. Still, I’m glad you can at least join us this far.” “Trust me, Sunset,” Twilight exclaimed, placing a hand on the smaller female’s shoulder. “I have one last gift in store which I think will aid you quite a bit.” “Are you two going to yap all day or what?” Rainbow Dash shouted from up ahead. “I don't mean to be a bother, but I would rather not be here when that bomb goes off,” Fluttershy added. “We’re coming,” Sunset Shimmer quickly replied as she jogged up to them. “Go ahead, Applejack.” The girl nodded once before walking up to the door and delivering a firm kick which knocked the entire thing off its hinges. In an instant, her and Rainbow Dash were in the next room, weapons drawn and searching for trouble. After a few tense moments, the pair relaxed, and Applejack peeked back into the hallway. “We’re clear,” she called. “Grossed out, but clear.” Twilight raised an eyebrow as they entered the next room, scanning the interior curiously. Purplish-green flesh covered the walls, floors, and ceilings completely, unnerving the infested somewhat. Twilight became even more unsettled when she realized that the flesh wasn't covering the walls, but rather it made up the very walls. Bony growths supported the ceiling while a mixture of muscle and skin protected the walls from damage. It wasn't even either, with strange nodes and random bumps growing at irregular intervals. It was the most alien architecture Twilight had ever seen, and though she felt unnerved, she was also intrigued. It was well-designed and utterly spartan, with no thought or effort having been given to making it appear visually appealing unlike even the community center which had at least an odd symmetry to it that made it look like a human building. Here there were few straight lines, with the exit resembling more of a fleshy orifice rather than a door. Twilight’s musings were interrupted by the stomp of feet as the rest of her squad jogged across the room towards the sole exit. Applejack drew back and holstered her shotgun, readying herself to kick it open, only to be stopped a second before she did so. “Wait. I think I can help with this,” Twilight interrupted. Applejack shrugged and took a step back, raising her weapon once more. “Be my guest.” Twilight focused on her psychic connection, noting that although the ambient pressure was significant, it wasn't enough to break her concentration. She had quite a bit of know-how, and even though the black queen was powerful, it was clear that she lacked experience. Giving Twilight enough of an edge that she could continue hiding her friends’ thoughts from the other infested while still touching the exit with her mind. With an uncomfortable, wet noise, the portal opened, and the group was surprised to see a hydralisk standing on the other side. The zerg seemed just as startled as them, though both parties quickly overcame their surprise not long after. Fluttershy was the first to react and used her new psionic powers to shove the creature off-balance, allowing her friends to fill it full of lead before it could even aim its shoulder-mounted projectile weapons. Dozens of rounds tore through the creature, cutting it to ribbons and leaving it a twitching mess on the ground. Applejack moved forward a second later, peeking through the opening with her shotgun raised, though she returned not long after. “It's clear,” she exclaimed. Sunset Shimmer reloaded her pistol. “Well, that’s-” A dull boom followed by the clatter of debris raining down from the sky made all eyes turn back to the way they came. The sudden detonation was powerful, though thankfully it was not so strong as to damage anything nearby. Everyone still felt the shockwave, and for a moment the fleshy building shook before coming to rest a second later. “That was close,” Rainbow Dash murmured. Whatever her friends were about to say in response was cut off when a voice suddenly boomed from every direction at once. “I know you’re here, and I know why you’re here,” bellowed the oddly familiar voice of the black queen. “You’ve come to kill me and stop me from elevating mankind to a race worthy of claiming ownership over our solar system.” “Does she know where we are?” Sunset Shimmer whispered nervously, her pistol raised. “No. She's just shouting everywhere at once,” Twilight replied. “Your arrogance and foolhardy resistance have slowed the inevitable, but rest assured that progress is quite impossible to stop,” continued the black queen, her voice undulating strangely. “You will be assimilated, and you will take your position at my side, as you already should have.” “Progress, my butt. Sounds more like slavery to me,” Applejack muttered. “And no matter how much I detest the flat black of our uniform, I hate that dreadful mix of purple and green of yours even more,” Rarity added in a disdainful tone. “I advise you seek out the nearest zerg and submit yourself to them. You have my word that you will be treated well, as will all who give themselves up,” continued the black queen. “Though if you wish to continue throwing away your lives in some vain attempt at killing me, then I will have no choice but to oblige you.” For a moment the group sat quietly, waiting for an additional response that never came. “That certainly was… dramatic,” Twilight murmured. “At least she didn't say resistance is futile again,” Sunset Shimmer muttered. “She really can't resist being a nerd, even now,” Rainbow Dash added. The room was silent for several seconds, though Twilight was quick to break that silence by clearing her throat. “We should keep moving,” she offered. “Right. Which way are we going again?” Rainbow Dash replied. “We need to locate a moderately powerful zerg so I can read its mind and find out where the magic detector is located,” Twilight explained. “Which means we keep going forward, and this time we’ll be a little less trigger-happy,” Sunset Shimmer added. “And maybe a few less incinerations as well?” Applejack asked. Sunset Shimmer coughed into her helmet. “Yes, well. That too.” “Let's go,” Twilight declared. Sunset Shimmer flicked a finger across the odd glass-like object held in her other hand, causing the scene within to shift as she did so. Which in turn revealed that further down the hall was a larger room that ended in what looked almost like an assembly line of some kind. Only instead of making some manner of physical good, this factory produced zerg organisms contained within large green eggs. The process had been halted however, and numerous zerglings, hydralisks, as well as other, more specialized creatures moved amongst the eggs. They seemed to be looking for something, though had yet to find it, and were paying little attention to the surroundings. None even noticed the small, nearly invisible silver sphere which zipped among them and disappeared in a tiny flash of light. “That spell is… convenient,” Applejack remarked. “Imagine how easy our missions would have been if we always had magic,” Rarity mused. Sunset Shimmer closed her hand and stood up. “We can't think of that right now. Twilight, did you see any targets which may be suitable candidates? Twilight?” Twilight blinked and looked down at her. “I’m sorry, what?” “Are you alright? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost,” Fluttershy inquired. Twilight frowned as her mind conjured the image of a serpentine zerg with vaguely human features and tentacles which grew from her head. It almost resembled the queen that Twilight knew was ultimately responsible for her own infestation as well as that of her friends. It wasn't quite the same, however, as this creature was much smaller and seemed bound to the flesh citadel itself somehow. “It's nothing,” Twilight muttered. “But yes. The snake-like zerg we saw is a viable target.” “Great. You’ll focus on blanking the zerg’s connection and maintaining an anti-sound barrier over the area while we deal with the other obstacles,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Hell yeah. It's about time we kicked some butt. I’ve been getting bored walking down these gross hallways,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Don't get too excited. You and Applejack will move to secure the exits while Fluttershy, Rarity, and I destroy the other, unimportant zerg organisms,” Sunset Shimmer continued. “Yer side-lining us? But we do most of the work!” Applejack declared. “Which is why I’m entrusting the most important part of the mission to you two,” Sunset Shimmer retorted. “If they realize they can't call for help using their connection to the black queen, they will likely scatter in an attempt to reach her the old-fashioned way,” Fluttershy explained. Rainbow Dash’s shoulders slumped. “I guess that makes sense. Still sucks though.” “We’ll handle it, darling. Don't you worry,” Rarity exclaimed. “Well, I’m ready when you are,” Twilight offered. “We are too,” Sunset Shimmer replied. “Now then, let's get to it. Fluttershy, you worry about the hydralisks while Rarity protects us and I handle the zerglings.” “Right,” Fluttershy declared, nodding confidently. “Let's get this done then,” Sunset Shimmer announced. The group immediately began to move, with Twilight building a spell which would ensure no one would detect what was about to happen. Before her, the other members of their little squad were already leaping into action, with Applejack and Rainbow Dash fanning wide. Emerging out onto the second story of the large room, they were given a bird’s eye view of the strange factory. Besides two large exits on either side of the space which allowed the eggs to travel through the odd inspection room, there were no other escapes. With a flash, the walls rippled briefly before all sound was crushed beneath the eldritch might of Twilight’s spell. In the silence she watched as the squad pinned their opponents before they even knew what was going on. Applejack and Rainbow Dash sprinted into position after leaping over the sides of the narrow walkway, cutting down a few zerg as they did so. Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, and Fluttershy got into position a second later, with the former pony unleashing her attack first. Which came in the form of a wave of fire that shot from her hands, down to the bottom floor where it became a roiling tsunami of destruction. Powerful enough to burn zerglings to a cinder, but not strong enough to seriously damage the factory floor, the wave only singed the larger zerg. Who reacted in a predictably panicked manner now that they were cut off from their queen. Some turned and ran, while others stood stock still, as if waiting for their death. More concerning than them were the band which formed up around the snakelike creature, their ranks closing in order to protect it. These zerg didn't have time to really focus on counter-attacking, and the scattered fire they sent at their attackers was easily deflected. Rarity’s shields proved more than a match for the organic daggers and small jets of acid launched at them, giving Fluttershy more than enough time to reach out and send a bolt of psionic energy at the closest bunch of hydralisks. The attack was a powerful one, with the chaotic bolt tearing through flesh and bone with startling ease. With two less hydralisks in their midst, the defending zerg units had already been cut in half after only a few seconds. A surge of motion drew all eyes towards where a half dozen drones were moving to attack Rainbow Dash, small blasts of acid shooting from their mouths. Sunset pointed from Fluttershy to the snake creature, then from herself to the drones, sending orders without uttering a sound all while gathering power for a spell. A moment later, a surge of fire erupted from the ground beneath the drones, though the zerg were smart enough to scatter a second earlier. With only one of their number dead, they moved to swarm and surround Rainbow Dash while two of them attempted to slip past. The lightning-fast woman proved more than capable of defending herself, though she was only able to stop a single one of the flying drones. Sunset Shimmer cut down the other with a jet of flames, and was about to further help her friend when she heard a shout echo within her mind. It was a trick, they are attacking Applejack! Fluttershy exclaimed. Turning her attention in the other direction, Sunset noticed that was indeed the case, and the farm girl was under assault from every last remaining zerg. Gem barriers leapt up to provide cover, saving Applejack from a hail of acid and organic spines fired her way, though it didn't stop the zerglings. They weaved around the barriers and leapt at the girl with a silent scream bursting from their mouths. The silent blast of a shotgun removed the upper half of one and the right side of another before a powerful punch turned a third into red paste. The distraction had worked, however, and the main group of zerg were now upon the beleaguered apple farmer. Thankfully she wasn't alone, and a hail of psionic attacks rained down from above, pummelling and killing her foes. Almost immediately the zerg’s momentum stalled, and though it was obvious the snake creature was attempting to rally the others, it wasn't working. Between the renewed fire-based attacks, and Rainbow Dash hitting them from the other side, it was losing underlings quickly. They continued to fight on, but it was clear that defeat was inevitable at that point. Sure enough, they were almost all cut down by a mix of gunfire, magic, and psionics, with only the more powerful zerg being left alive. Out of desperation, it attempted to wrap its tentacles around a nearby Applejack, but was stopped dead when something exploded against the ground next to it. Turning around, the zerg was incredibly confused to find itself standing before what appeared at first glance to be its queen. It didn't get the chance to wonder why Twilight was wearing armor and working with the humans however, as a psionic battering ram slammed into its mind. Its defences buckled immediately, and all at once it felt every last bit of information be torn from it with all the finesse of an angry bull. Then its neck was shattered under an ironlike grip, and its world faded before it could even figure out what had just happened. Dropping the dying creature to the ground, Twilight pondered the newfound information carefully, dispelling the enchantment as she did so. “Did ya get it?” Rainbow Dash inquired, skidding to a stop next to Twilight. Who nodded slowly, still trying to piece together everything she now knew. “The lower levels are a maze of tunnels and defences, but somewhere down there is the magical detection device. Though the creature didn't know the exact location and seemed to believe that it was missing for some reason.” “Missing? Why would it be missing? It was one of the other Twilight’s most prized inventions,” Rarity replied. “Are we not gonna talk about how cool that was? I mean, damn, you cooked those zergies like they were Sunday dinner,” Applejack exclaimed as she reloaded her shotgun. “I told you I was an expert mage,” Sunset Shimmer replied before turning to Twilight. “Now what was this about the detector not being where we thought it was?” “Just that,” Twilight replied with a shrug. “It's gone and hasn't been accounted for in at least a year.” “She must have lost it almost immediately after constructing this awful building,” Rarity pointed out. “Why hasn't she made another?” Sunset inquired. “Hey ya. A nerd like evil Twi would never just forget about the existence of magic,” Rainbow Dash remarked. Twilight frowned. “I’m not sure, but from what I’ve gathered, there was some special piece to the machine that made it impossible to replicate.” “Seems mighty fishy if you ask me,” Applejack exclaimed. Sunset Shimmer nodded. “Quite. It's not like any zerg can resist the black queen’s will, so it couldn't have been stolen, could it?” Twilight shrugged. “I have no idea. Though I’m sure if we start our search in these lower levels, we can eventually come across someone who knows where it is.” “What if we don't?” Fluttershy posited. “We will,” Sunset Shimmer stated calmly. “The entire mission hinges on us incapacitating the black queen before she is able to regroup and wipe out the resistance.” “Do we have a backup plan in case we don't find this detector thingy?” Applejack inquired. “You will have to continue on without me then,” Twilight answered. “I told you that won't happen. So let's not even consider the chance of that right now,” Sunset Shimmer angrily retorted. “It's a possibility you must be prepared to accept,” Twilight countered. “We will find it, hold up our end of the bargain, and then we will defeat the black queen,” Sunset Shimmer stated. Twilight held up her hands in defeat. “Whatever you say, Sunset. Whatever you say.”