The Infestation of Equiss Prime

by Jest


True Colors Part 1

“That would be, uh, me. Ma’am,” murmured one of the unarmored personnel.

Twilight gazed down at the young mare standing in front of the armored personnel carrier. She couldn't have been older than twenty and wore the kind of heavy jumpsuit usually worn under the marine’s powered armor. Her horn had yet to light, and though she had a heavy rifle, she didn't raise the thing, keeping it pointed firmly at the ground.

Barely older than Twilight herself, the other unicorn had the slim, unmuscled figure of an academic. Her fur, what little was visible, was a soft shade of yellow like that of a banana, while her mane was a light purple. Nervous and struggling to stay still, the pony seemed like she was ready to run or open fire the second she heard a loud noise.

“What is your name, and why did you fire on our convoy?” Twilight demanded.

“Why are we talking about this?” yelled one of the base marines. “We got orders to eliminate the infested.”

Twilight lit her horn and bent the soldier’s rifle in half, the metal screeching as it was folded into an unexpected shape.

“Anyone else feel like trying my patience?” Twilight shouted.

There was a moment of quiet before the various soldiers arrayed before her lowered their weapons. Even with the mental fog shrouding her abilities, Twilight could still tell that they weren't completely cowed. That didn't matter, however, as she could also tell that they weren't about to try anything, not yet anyway.

“Good. Now, if you could answer my question, please,” Twilight repeated.

The lone unicorn soldier amidst the bunch stepped forward. “My name is Banana Fluff, and like my subordinate indicated, we had orders to eliminate your convoy. The official reason was that you all had been compromised, and that you were working for the zerg.”

Twilight sighed. “And who exactly gave this order?”

“It came through the priority channel, so I assume it was from one of the higher-ups,” Banana Fluff replied.

“Long Haul,” Twilight muttered.

“Please tell me we are driving back to that office and executing every last one of those sons of bitches,” Quick Buck remarked over the radio.

“Soon,” Twilight declared.

“So, what happens now?” Banana Fluff asked. “I know our orders are to kill you, but it's pretty clear that's not exactly something we're capable of doing.”

“Nor should you try,” Twilight stated firmly. “But to answer your question, that depends on if you are being truthful.”

Twilight hopped down from the APC with a heavy thump, trotting towards the pony in question with a quick, determined gait.

Get the marines out, but remain inside for the moment, Twilight thought, sending the command to both of her infested underlings.

A second later, Quick Buck and his squadmates were arrayed next to their ride in a wide arc. With guns trained on the small crowd, they stood impassive while Twilight walked up to the small fort’s officer. Who was growing more nervous with each and every step Twilight took in her direction. Her fear was so palpable that Twilight genuinely wondered how the odd unicorn had even gotten the job in the first place.

“Hold still. This won't hurt unless you fight it,” Twilight exclaimed.

Banana Fluff exchanged a few nervous glances with her security team, silently considering resisting. Thankfully the imposing shape of the infested and heavily armored mare looming over her quashed any resistance, leaving behind only meek submission. The unicorn bowed her head and allowed Twilight to begin her psychic search.

Delving into the other creature’s mind, Twilight found that the fog had lessened somewhat. Be it the distance, location, or some other factor, she could now more easily maneuver the other mare’s memories. Which turned out to be strangely familiar, as she too had trained in Celestia’s school, only her focus had been on food preservation and enchantment.

After conflict began to rear its ugly head, the unicorn’s father demanded that she train as an officer. Rather than end up in the ranks of the great houses’ personal army, the mare had managed to secure a distant post. Assigned as the commander for Fort Sandhome while it was still a royal guard outpost, she had transitioned easily into the confederacy.

After that it was a blur of samey days, the occasional weekend spent in town, and long hours spent atop the walls. There was no mental tampering evident, nor any sign of infestation, only a naive young mare doing her job. She didn't even resist as Twilight plucked her way through her head, merely letting it happen while hoping it would be over soon.

With her anger now having melted away to nothing, Twilight sought out one final memory. Once she did, the infested was able to confirm that the order had indeed come down from one of Long Haul’s receptionists. This order had been confirmed with the others in the local branch of the confederate military, adding to the confusion.

“Is… that it?” Banana Fluff whispered.

Twilight took a step back. “It is, and for what it's worth, I’m sorry you got mixed up in this.”

“Er, thanks,” Banana Fluff muttered.

“Long Haul’s gone rogue or been compromised somehow,” Twilight stated, clicking the radio channel so everyone heard her. “Through his orders, you all have committed a grave act of treason and would normally be summarily executed for your insubordination by the closest officer. Which in this instance would be myself.”

Are you sure that's wise, my queen? Applejack pleaded.

Trust our queen. She knows what is best, Zecora added.

Twilight ignored them and continued, trotting back to her spot in front of the APC. There she gazed out at the terrified, confused, and angry faces of Sandhome’s defenders.

“But that is not how I see it,” Twilight concluded. “You have done well to defend your homes and your comrades.”

A general air of confusion and relief settled over the small group.

“Which is why I am giving you a chance to make things right. Join me, and together we shall demand answers from the man who would make you traitors to your government and people,” Twilight continued. “Who’s with me?”

Several of the fort’s defenders shouted their agreement, but the majority remained silent.

“Do this, and I promise you will face no backlash for your part in Long Haul’s treachery,” Twilight swore.

“We’ll do it,” Banana Fluff declared. “But if this turns out to be some kind of trick…”

“Then you will have been the ones to turn me in to receive justice,” Twilight retorted.

Banana Fluff nodded. “I guess we need to get moving then. Where are the trucks? Are they gassed up?”

“Yes, ma’am, they’re in the garage,” replied one of her subordinates.

“Good. I want everyone to get ready to move in five minutes. Bring with you only extra ordinance and ammo. I want to move light,” Banana Fluff continued.

Twilight stepped away, allowing the other mare to organize her squad while Twilight returned to her own. Who were lingering near their vehicle and shooting either glares or curious glances at the fort’s defenders.

“Shoulda turned that one guy inside out,” Quick Buck declared, his helmet opening and allowing a cloud of cigar smoke to billow out. “Probably wouldn't be so quick to shoot us in the back if they knew we weren't screwin' around.”

“Which is why I want you to ride along with Fluffy Bananas over there,” Twilight commanded. “One wrong move and you have my permission to put the lot of 'em on ice.”

“Hooah, Sparky,” Quick Buck replied.

Twilight held up a hoof. “Oh, and take the rest of the marines with you. I’ve got a weird feeling that we are about to be stepping hoof-first into hell, and I wish to maintain their loyalty while we're in the thick of it.”

“Ain't no better way to make sure someone ain't about to shoot you in the back if you’ve already got a gun to theirs,” Quick Buck remarked. “Well, you heard the boss mare. On me, let's go get these jokers in order.”

As the rest of the marines tromped off, Twilight made her way back to her ride, keying into the radio as she did so. “Free Flier. We’ve resolved the issue here and will be heading back to town shortly,” Twilight explained.

There was a pause followed by a burst of static as well as a familiar voice. “I hear ya, Sparkles, and just a heads-up, but some kind of antenna is coming out of the city hall. Not sure what's going on, but if I had to guess, someone’s going to jam the-”

Free Flier’s report was cut off by an eruption of ear-piercing whirring noises that made it impossible to hear a thing. Twilight quickly deactivated the device and used her psionic abilities to reach out to Quick Buck. Surprisingly, this seemed to work, as the mental fog had all but vanished, allowing Twilight full access to her abilities.

Communications are jammed. I’ll keep in mental contact as long as I can, but we’re going to have to rely on old-fashioned signalling, Twilight explained.

Great jumping horny toads, is that you, Sparky? What in the hell are you doing in my head, girly? Can't you just talk like a normal pony? Quick Buck demanded, though even his thoughts were more confused than angry.

No time. Keep someone you trust watching the command vehicle. I’ll direct our forces as best as I am able, Twilight continued.

Well, alright then. What's the plan? Blitz for city hall? Quick Buck inquired.

In theory, yes. But first we gotta get a handle on what the hell is going on. We’ll regroup at the city gates and move on hoof from there, Twilight finished.

Err, okay. You weren't looking too hard, were ya? Quick Buck asked in a soft, worried tone.

No, I did not see that you were imagining me stepping on you, Twilight shot back.

Well, that's good- Hey, wait a second- Quick Buck’s thoughts were cut off as Twilight severed the link, snickering to herself as she plunked down across from her subordinates.

“What a weird guy,” Applejack remarked.

“He may or may not have been thinking about it before, but he sure is now,” Twilight added with a snicker.

Not to rain on anyone’s parade as the ponies say, but do we have any idea what's going on? Zecora interjected.

“Nope,” Twilight declared, clanging her hoof against the back of the driver’s area and firing off a quick command to get moving. “But I have a few theories.”

As do I, Zecora stated.

“I mean, can we even be sure of anything?” Applejack asked. “We have what, four or five parties involved here?”

“The confederacy, the locals, smugglers, the daughters, and quite possibly two different bands of zerg,” Twilight reasoned. “We may not have any idea of the larger picture, but things will become clearer when we get back to city hall.”

I believe it is time for some intense interrogation, Zecora stated.

For once, Twilight couldn't help but agree, though she didn't say as much out loud. Choosing to keep her thoughts private, Twilight lit her horn and used a simple scrying spell to see her surroundings. As if on cue, the rest of the group began to pile into their vehicles and assemble in the middle of the fort.

The drivers required no orders and swiftly turned the armored personnel carrier around before driving out. Now with the old fort behind them, the vehicle began to accelerate towards the distant form of the small town. Halfway between it and them lay a familiar silhouette, one that revealed itself to be Free Flier on her vulture.

Twilight pondered how best to deliver orders, and though tempted to use her psionic abilities, she chose to do something else. Attaching a simple altered light spell to the scrying anchor point, the mare conjured a big red arrow pointing to them. Free Flier seemed to understand this, as she rapidly accelerated towards them before falling to their right.

By then the rest of the fort’s defenders were assembled behind the APC, the reinforced trucks rattling along the road. Though none were quite as fast as the vulture, the group was making good time, and Twilight estimated it wouldn't be long before they returned. In the meantime, she attempted to use her scrying spell to scope out the town and find out what exactly was going on there.

She put a little more power into the spell and extended it upwards, giving her the vantage Twilight required. Even that didn't seem to help matters, as the second she attempted to inspect her target, everything began to grow blurry. The large city twisted like a mirage in the desert, making the entire thing so hard to see that she couldn't make out any details.

There were only what looked like stray rounds being fired, and a great number of things moving in the streets. Any details were lost, rendered invisible due to the anti-scrying ward keeping Twilight from seeing anything specific. Though frustrating, it wasn't unexpected, as anti-warding spells were the first thing used when preparing for a siege or large-scale conflict.

“Do you think it's the zerg?” Applejack whispered.

“I don't even know,” Twilight admitted. “It could be combine remnants, the daughters, a simple corrupt official, or a full-blown zerg invasion.”

Would we not sense such a thing? Zecora questioned.

“You would think so,” Twilight murmured.

The rest of the short ride was relatively quiet, with only the rumble of the engine and the clatter of the road to break the silence. As they neared their target, however, Twilight stirred from her seat, and once more activated her spell. She started by creating several arrows and pointing to her ride, grabbing everyone’s attention.

Beware of potential friendly fire. At this moment assume everyone inside is hostile, but do not shoot unless fired upon or ordered to by myself, Twilight wrote in the sky.

The infested mare then reached forward and clomped a heavy metal hoof against the divider. A moment later, a thin slat of metal fell down to reveal the two helmeted heads of their drivers. Twilight wasn't interested in chatting, however, and leaned forward, peering out the glass and towards the town.

“What the…” she murmured.

Rather than resisting some invading force, those defenders on the town’s walls were firing down into the interior of the barricade. Stranger still was the large, seemingly organic buildings that had replaced some of the normal grey metal seen in the settlement. These massive structures had somehow sprouted up in less than two hours and now dominated the skyline.

“How in the heck did that happen?” Twilight muttered to herself.

“I don't know, boss lady, but it looks like we're going to end up in the thick of it,” remarked one of the drivers.

“As usual,” Twilight concluded.

The mare took one look at the strange scene and fell back into the troop compartment, ignoring the thunk as the divider slid into place. The whirling thoughts in Twilight's mind were quickly put into their place and brushed aside to make way for planning. Lighting her horn, Twilight found that the mental fog had returned, but thankfully it did not affect her normal spellcasting.

Infested and zerg forces are likely present in the town. Friendly zerg will be marked with a red strobe. Otherwise shoot anything that isn't confederate, Twilight wrote using bright red words.

Though she couldn't tell for certain, Twilight felt as though her message was received. So she turned back to her subordinates and conjured a small blinking red strobe light on their person. These small orbs were just bright enough to be visible, but not so much so that they gave away their position.

“Get ready,” Twilight warned. “We're about to deploy.”

“I’m sure with you in charge, we’ll be able to figure this out,” Applejack confidently declared.

“I sure hope so, because I was just starting to like Jetstream, and it would be a shame if she wound up dead,” Twilight remarked.

She is oddly endearing, Zecora agreed.

“We may have to split up in order to find her, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Twilight reasoned.

A moment later, the vehicle came to a halt, and the ramp descended with a hard thunk. Twilight and her subordinates stepped outside to find that the rest of their little cadre weren't far behind. While they piled out of the rusted trucks, Twilight and her squad made their way towards the closest gate.

Peeking through the opening, Twilight found that her assumptions had indeed been correct. Zombie-like infested stumbled down the streets in droves, some firing guns while most had no visible weapon at all. Either way, the swarm was sizable, filling the road almost completely with their twisted, mutated flesh.

Sporting extra limbs, eyes, or other squirming appendages, the population had been horrifically warped by zerg corruption. Whatever process had done this had not done the best job, however, as most of the infested barely seemed able to walk. Tumourous growths and bulging, misshapen limbs were the norm amongst the stumbling horde of sleep-walking creatures.

They didn't slow or even flinch as chunks of their bodies were blown off by the high-caliber weapons of the town guard. Or at least those who were not infested themselves and were amongst the swarm, shooting up at their former comrades. These still uncorrupted defenders stood in contrast to the purplish-green mass of infested that lurched ever onwards towards their still pure brethren.

“How horrible,” Applejack murmured.

These infested people appear to be enslaved to some other entity as they barely even seem cognizant of where they are, Zecora pointed out.

“Let's try to take as many alive as possible. With the control spread out over so many minds, we should be able to pull free at least a few of them,” Twilight reasoned.

“So what’s the pla- Holy sheet,” Quick Buck muttered. “How in the hell did all this happen? We were barely gone for more than an hour.”

“I don't know, but I intend on finding out,” Twilight declared, turning around to find that the others had assembled while she had been distracted. “Good, you’re all here. As you can see, it has hit the fan, as they say.”

“No kidding. I think I’m going to be sick,” murmured one marine.

“Don't throw up in your suit, private,” Banana Fluff remarked, now sporting powered armor like the rest of her squad.

“Whatever is going on, Long Haul is at the center of it. Which is why we need to push towards the city hall,” Twilight began, her voice raised and powerful. “However, we need to locate Jetstream and the rest of the marines. So as soon as we find out where they are, we will be splitting into two teams.”

Twilight pointed down at Quick Buck. “You and half the marines will be coming with me when this happens while the rest will be joining my subordinates here in the search.”

“Y-yes, ma’am,” Banana Fluff murmured, clearly ill at ease around the two infested.

“Good, when this happens, Free Flier will be in command of the rescue operation. Which, once successful, will push to the city hall in order to rejoin the rest,” Twilight concluded. “Remember, do your best to incapacitate these people, but if you don't have a choice, don't hesitate to kill them.”

“Not much we can do for 'em at this point,” Free Flier muttered.

“When we win, I can help to free them of their control and cut out the majority of their mutations, but that will happen later. Now we must focus on finding and slaying the creature responsible for this mess. Move out!” Twilight shouted.

There was no shout of hooah, or anything of the sort, only the grim reluctance of those who knew what must be done.

Twilight turned and trotted back towards the gate, her subordinates both uninfested and otherwise fanning out behind her. The second she rounded the bend, Twilight found that the infested had mostly reached the walls and were now dragging away their former friends. Some were kicking and screaming while others had been knocked out or were too injured to fight back.

Either way, it was a grim sight, and Twilight quickly lit her horn, casting the most powerful sleep spell she could manage. The rippling wave of purple energy washed over the mass of twisted, enslaved creatures, dropping them by the dozen. Infested civilians fell like flies, leaving only their armored comrades still standing, though only barely.

Shots rang out, and those deformed marines amongst the swarm fell, heads or bodies blown apart. No commands even needed to be uttered, all understood the dark task ahead of them and had committed to seeing it through. Twilight tried not to think about how many poor creatures she could have saved, focusing instead on those she had.

The three dozen slumbering infested were then hit by a second spell, one that ensured they would not wake up. Now with their first few waves in magical comas or dead, the swarm stumbled on, tripping over their downed allies. Sporadic gunfire and the occasional spell hit Twilight's squad to little effect, the infested’s aim too poor to be very effective.

“Zecora, knockout gas,” Twilight barked.

Zecora, having sensed her queen’s orders before they could even be uttered, was already moving to carry them out. A bubbling orb of emerald green gas contained with a dark purple orb emerged from her mouth and was spat onto the ground. Where Twilight picked it up in her magic and threw it into the densest population of infested creatures.

The effect was immediate, with the gas rapidly spreading through their ranks and knocking out a good quarter of them. Twilight focused on putting those already asleep into a deeper coma while her squad picked off those who were still awake. This strategy was repeated two more times to the same effect, leaving the initial horde either slumbering or dead.

Twilight gazed out over the field of sleeping bodies and picked out those uninfested amongst them. Plucking these lucky soldiers from the tangled heap of limbs with her magic, Twilight placed them aside where her soldiers could inspect them. A task they took to without order or prompting, Zecora joining them a moment after casting aside her cloak.

The strange infested slipped amongst them, inspecting the wounded and assisting whenever possible. Twilight could tell that she only did so reluctantly, the zebra aware of how dire they needed new allies. Leaving Twilight to focus on those infested still sleeping on the street, who she couldn't help but worry for. Using her magic, she dragged over a bent street sign and wrote a quick message before sticking it in the dirt.

“Don't kill, can be cured and uninfested,” Applejack read aloud. “Do you think they’ll listen?”

“Let's hope so. Either way, we don't have the time or strength necessary to make sure of that,” Twilight replied.

We have healed who we can. The others have been put into medically induced comas, Zecora exclaimed.

“Good, let's keep moving,” Twilight declared.

Glancing back to the new additions, Twilight only counted five, with the rest having been left behind. A few were awake but too injured to move, while the others were lying next to their infested former comrades. Either way, they weren't going to be useful in the coming fight, so Twilight pushed them out of her mind.

“Let's go,” she stated.

As she trotted further into the town, Twilight's initially quick pace was soon slowed almost to a halt. Burnt-out vehicles and deep craters made the terrain difficult to maneuver for all but Applejack. Who slithered her way through the debris with ease, weaving between the hunks of broken concrete like a trained dancer.

Ahead of them lay an intersection filled with wrecked vehicles and a good number of corpses. There the first of the infested buildings could be seen, its grey exterior replaced with a wall of undulating flesh. Pustules of green liquid rippled, slowly filling with an unidentifiable liquid from further within the structure. Though there were few at first, gazing deeper into the town revealed that these bizarre buildings grew more numerous further in.

“Contact!” Applejack shouted.

Twilight turned to find that one of the infested structures had split open and was spilling out numerous shapes. Most were zerglings or infested ponies, but there were a few true hydralisks in their number. Tumbling to the street, the mass of creatures scrambled towards Twilight's position near the center of the square.

“Focus fire on the larger ones!” Twilight yelled.

She then loosed a spell into the crowd, her fireball exploding with a deafening boom. Charred bits of meat splattered across the road, painting it in a mix of green and red blood. The rest of her motley squad fired after her a moment later, cutting a deadly swath through the creatures.

Their numbers were too great, however, and even after they lost a third of their comrades in seconds, they continued on. Sprinting, slithering, or leaping towards Twilight and her group of soldiers with murderous intent beaming in their beady eyes. Twilight had seen this coming and countered with a powerful wave of roiling lightning.

The rumbling black cloud billowed outward, overtaking the first few waves of zerg and bringing them down. Zerglings and infested alike briefly lit up as their bodies were filled with electricity, dropping dead or wounded a second later. The hydralisks behind them as well as their infested marine allies were a bit harder to take down, but that had been accounted for.

Applejack’s carefully fired organic daggers took down one, two, then three in rapid succession. Zecora added her cocktail of foul chemicals a moment later, dissolving one unfortunate hydralisk caught in its blast. The uninfested marines poured on the lead, cutting down their foes with the lethal precision of trained killers.

Even with all that, there were still too many, and it seemed like they were going to have to affix bayonets. Twilight was once more on top of the situation, and with a mighty heave of psionic power, she shoved them back. Limbs twisted, legs bent, and creatures of all sizes fell on top of one another in a tangled heap of confusion.

This was all they needed to finish them off, cutting down the zerg and leaving behind a couple of dazed infested. Who were subsequently knocked out and put under, all save for a middle-aged mare who sported several extra scythe-like appendages. When Twilight moved to knock her out, she felt a spark of something she hadn't noticed in the other infested.

“Wait a sec,” Twilight warned, raising a hoof.

Not waiting for the rest of her comrades to ask her what she was doing, Twilight reached forward. Placing a hoof against the other mare’s forehead, she pushed hard, attempting to break into the hive mind network using the mare as her conduit. Only to be stifled by a wall of resistance far greater than any Twilight had ever felt before.

Immediately she realized that no amount of brute force would be able to get her what she wanted. Whoever or whatever was controlling the infested townspeople was an expert psionic user and was quite powerful. Though it wasn't completely fruitless, for as the enslaved mare collapsed, she thought of someone close to her.

“Ariel Hanson,” Twilight murmured. “Such hope and tenacity.”

“Who’s that?” Applejack inquired, gesturing to the fallen mare.

“No idea,” Twilight replied.

The pony lying on the ground had the usual signs of infestation, twisted flesh, faintly glowing yellow eyes, but there was more. She also sported two extra sharp stinger-like appendages that grew from her spine and were now lying next to her. The pony’s grey fur had mostly been replaced with the distinct purple of the zerg, though she sported several blank patches on one side.

“Ariel, that was the botanist Celestia sent out here before Canterlot fell,” Banana Fluff remarked, grimacing. “And that is her wife, I’m fairly certain.”

“Interesting. Though I don't know how this helps us,” Twilight muttered.

“The zerg have to want her, right?” Banana Fluff half asked, half stated. “She is the only reason this place is able to produce food at all.”

“Hmmm. I don't like making decisions based on hunches,” Twilight stated. “We continue towards city hall.”

“Either way, we're going to end up walking past that big greenhouse,” Quick Buck remarked.

Twilight leaped atop a car, and from there onto a two-story diner where she peered intently down the road. It appeared mostly open, though roaming packs of infested as well as zerg could be seen maneuvering through the debris at a leisurely pace. Gunshots could be heard in the distance, though it was difficult to tell where they were coming from.

Along the way, there were numerous infested buildings, with a few seemingly normal ones peppered amongst them. At the end lay the city hall, and though not fully visible, Twilight could see the very tip-top of the greenhouse. The many colored windows that made up the dome were only partially intact, with large purple tentacles breaking through several of them.

Twilight leaped down and landed with a crack on the pavement. “Let's keep going,” she declared. “Stay grouped, stay tight, and let's keep repeating that same strategy.”

“Conserve your ammo as much as possible,” Banana Fluff added. “I know we grabbed all we could carry, but we are in a target-rich environment at the moment.”

A chorus of grunts and affirmations was the only response she got.

“It's too bad these streets aren't clearer. Some heavy weapons would mop up all that infantry,” Free Flier exclaimed.

“We take what we can get,” Twilight replied simply.

“Right on,” Free Flier muttered, the mare snapping her revolver shut and giving the cylinder a flick.

Twilight gave her motley squad a brief visual inspection before turning back to the road ahead of them. As she walked, the rest of the soldiers followed after her, their pace quick as they maneuvered around the debris. This time Applejack remained firmly at Twilight's side, the pair along with Zecora standing in front of the group.

It wasn't long before they ran into another squad of zerglings and their infested allies. Emerging from a side street, the horde screeched a battle cry and surged towards the group as one. Though they were relatively close, Twilight was able to fire off a spell, one that flash-froze a good half of them to the ground.

Again the mass of zerg was disrupted just enough for them to be dealt with before they could strike at the confederate forces. The zerglings amongst them were killed outright, while the infested were mostly saved and were quickly knocked out. Some casualties were had amongst the enemy infested, but Twilight quickly ignored them as at least her own squad remained unharmed.

That didn't last long, as several ambushes and aerial assaults by zergified pegasi led them to take several hits. None had yet to perish, but two marines had their suits compromised, and a third had lost his main weapon, leaving him with just a sidearm. Twilight herself had been forced to slow down in order to heal a few deep lacerations Applejack had suffered.

Thankfully nothing was life-threatening or particularly worrying, allowing them to continue deeper into the city. Where the sounds of fighting grew louder, so much so that they could pick out their origin fairly easily. A few blocks down the street was a large apartment building surrounded by infested and zerg alike.

Higher up on the structure was a surprisingly large force of local security personnel. Firing down from their superior position, the holdouts were able to fend off their foes through great effort. Even still, it was obvious that they couldn't hold out forever, as the tide of purple bodies was seemingly endless.

Twilight paused in the middle of the intersection. “How much do you want to bet that's Jetstream and her crew?”

“I wouldn't take that bet,” Quick Buck remarked.

“Right,” Twilight muttered. “We split up as mentioned earlier. You lot will head to that apartment building while the rest of us continue towards city hall.”

Are you sure this is wise, my queen? Zecora inquired in a gentle tone.

“I’m certain,” Twilight stated. “We need to retrieve Jetstream as well as this famed botanist, and I will need a distraction to reach the hall.”

“I don't like leavin’ ya, but it's not like we won't be in contact,” Applejack added, tapping the side of her head.

“Best be movin’ soon,” Free Flier remarked. “Looks like another wave is amassing over there.”

“Right. You all know your orders. Let's get it done,”

Free Flier chuckled. “Oh yeah, this sounds fun.”