It was a dark yet clear night in Equis, the perfect night for star gazing ,or in case of one small earth ponie family huddling to keep warm under their tarp, the perfect night to hunt for meteorites. Why you might ask? First with tensions running high between the three races, the chancelor has decided they should start stockpileling weapons in case hostiles broke out. Secondly star metal from those commets was worth a small fortune in these tough times. Lastly Starless Void and mama Cosmos had a family business to up hold. Papa Void was a a grey earth pony with rapidly grating white mane. Mama Cosmos was a stubborn sort of pony, it's not always a earth ponie gets born into a family of unicorns, her parents at risk of scandal among the press, put her up for adoption before she was taken in by Voids father, Polaris. She was of the lighter unicorn build than your standard earth ponie stock, but if you told her that she would knock the stars out as proof of her heritage. She was a light green coat with a light blue mane with white spots in it. Together they where called a cute couple by many ponies, but that changed a few years ago. You would now have to call them a cute family. The older sister Celestia, a white coated, pink maned filly. Much to her sisters amusement, even thou see was 2 years older, she didn't have her cutie mark yet. While Luna was showing hers off as much as possible. Luna was a light blue coated mare, not much darker then her mothers, with blue hair. Luna had gotten her cutie mark a year before when she was awoken one night to a meteor shower, as each one feel a shiver ran down her back . Now every time A comet would come down her " woony sense" would kick it. The bigger the object the sooner it would be picked up. Her cutie mark, a moon with some stars falling from was the results of that wonderful night.
So you might ask why was this family of earth ponies huddling under a tarp at the edge of Pegastopolas, closer to the wild lands than their home town?
Well a few days ago Luna was sitting around the fire with her family after a good day of mining when she felt something, she froze as she felt the vibrations pass thou here back. At first it felt like a small sober but something wasn't right, it wasn't stoping. Then it hit. Luna fell on the ground, family shrieking in surprise. As she lay there her back was heaving and bucking she was panting as the ripples spread thru her body. Then as soon as it happened it stopped. Her family looked at her questionably, one word was all it took to set out on the biggest mining expedition of their life.
"soon"
So after much star charting and plotting they found the object in question and the " woona sense" did not lie. It was huge and coming in fast. It was so huge they had to higher extra help to help bring it back. Said help was currently sitting on there cloud beds, light snores echoed off the walls of the valley. "life will be good after this haul," Void thought , " I'll be able to send the girls to a private university, then we can buy a house by the sea and spend the rest of our days sipping lemonade on the prench beach." he dreamed happy thoughts as he rolled closer to his loving wife and passed into blissfully sleep.
Thou the comet have very different plans for this world.
-------- aboard the fist of redemption ------
Captain Ventirs was a very mad man. He normally had a habit of plan yelling when he felt bad, but today he has a reason to be mad. After he was order to mind you pick up a group of colonists from a now ork world. He was now orders to take these "planet scum" to a new world that has appeared from a now dead warp storm. The green skins dreaded Waggggh has a few useful offshoots aside from general looting and promotions. It was to be no different from any other colony plan. Land, kill the natives, set up shop, get a cushy job. On the upside this world didn't look like a death world. When did it go so wrong.
It started 3 days ago one of passages went into labor, while this was normally a joyous occasion so the crew was gathered together. one final push and he waited to hear the tell tale scream, wait was that clicking?
He burst into the infirmary las-pistol draw. There craddled in that thrice dammed heretics arms was a genestealer! A bloody genestealer ! There she was cooing at it. One quick las bolt and it's head splattered into goop.
Three things happened at once, first the women looked up eyes slitted with a spike tipped tongue hissing at the captain. Secondly, the colonists jumped on the unsuspecting guards men quickly throwing them in to a savage brawl, lastly the alarms sounded as a voice blared over the box speaker.
" the astropath is down, I repeat the astropath is down"
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That was three days ago, three days of endless floating, three days of being hunted in the halls, 72 hours of being hunted by those faceless abominations. They had the bridge but the engines where under stealer control. With out the engines they were drifting out of control pass what ever possible rescuers that could have saved them. Unless they get those back they where a hulk, a dying hulk.
Ventris looked around at the remains he used to call his brigade. The ten left have see unnumbered horrors and were the veteran core of his force. They where tooled up with all the ammo and where going to attempt to redraft the engines. There was a habitable world close and all they needed was a quarter turn and they would live. The nice planet below with sparkling seas and soaring peaks.
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Earth bound
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It was under these soaring peaks the caravan was traveling, trudging forward as they left the borders of the known world. The wagon currently being pulled by Void pulling a sleeping wife and two questioning fillies where currently debating the meaning of the universe.
" so you think daddy hears us?" Luna whispered to Celestia or Celly.
" nah there's no way, he would have told us to get out and help pull"
" or maybe he just wants a bit o pease and it's pass you girls bed time."
" but Daaaaaaad we can't go to bed without a bed time story and Mama went to bed without telling us one."
" sweet heavens above that all it was, fine I'll tell one my father told me when I wouldn't go to bed."
" wait you where a foal too!" Luna exclaimed.
" yes Luna" he said with a chuckle " I was a foal too, now do you want this story or not?"
" yes yes yes" exclaimed Luna as she jumped next to her sister and cuddled under the family blanket.
" okay this is the tale of the old ones, once a long long time ago, ponies didn't rule this land. We were beasts just like the birds or the bees. We did not think just was. But then they landed and when they came they saw us. They gave us life and sentience. It was they who gave the unicorn her horn and the pegasus there wings. Then they, after being tired of much fighting taught us the basis of harmony. We enjoyed a golden age of happiness with the old ones. But they had to leave, where no one knows. But it is said they will come back and spread there light one more time." he finished.
After about five mins a weak question came out from the cart, " daddy do you think the old ones will come agin?" asked a sleepy Celestia
"yes my dear I really do," he replied "now get back to sleep, I'll see you in the morning". after some moments a light snore came from the cart. He looked up at the soon to be meteor and wondered " what was the old ones running from?"
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An old datafile from the pre-emperors age said a very true quote, and that was " war, war never changes" , and that was very true. Humans have always hunt and been hunted, no mater if it was lions and tigers, to modern days, heretics and alien space monsters. It true war ne-----
" private Ryan !!!!"
"yes captain!"
"I swear if I catch you day dreaming agin some one else will have to save your ass!"
" sorry sir!!"
"don't say sorry, instead go up and check the next hallway for more of these damm bugs."
The said trooper moved up to take point among the remaining troopers. All five of them. Jenkins died to a falling bulk head. Bobby was taken out by that blasted brood lord's implant attack. Two died getting through the crew deck. The Dam things where running around in the vents. Still praise the emperor these things had no idea how the ship worked. It was this hall way then the engine room. They might make it.
" all right form up on Ryan, watch the vents. Move move move."
It seamed to go in slow motion, the guards men rushed forward guns blazing. One, two, three of those grubs fell to hot lances of the guards men. The last one turned to strike only to be bull rushed up against the bulk head. One bolt and it joined it's brood mates.
" sir all hostile eliminated"
" good job now get that bulk head open yesterday!"
He allowed himself a small smile, every was going exactly as planned, this was going just as planne----
*Crunch*
Interruping his thought a massive crunching sound echoed through the ship.
" what the f%#* was that"
" no idea sir." ryan replied hastily.
*thunk*
" get it open yesterday!!!!!"
The guardsmen started rushing to cut that bulkhead open. That's when they heard it.
*GRRAGHYR*
*thunk*thunk*thunk*thunk*thunk*thunk*
Out of the darkness came rushing towards them a huge beast. It's maw wide open as arcs of bio electricity crackled in it's gullet. One colossus heave and a ball of plasma arced across the room splattering and liquefying a poor guards men.
Ventus has to roll out of the way of the carnifex as it barreled past him into the bulkhead and squashing the last two guards into the far wall of the engine room. Ventus rushed in to the control panel and franticly trying to turn it. Else were massive engines slowly revved, turning the massive ship slowly towards the poor planet below steadily turning and more.
A slow clap was heard in the background... Ventus turned to see the trice dammed, Broodlord standing there clapping it's mockery of hands.
"now really did you expect to beat us all?" It hissed through the razor sharp teeth it still had.
" This ship has over 300 of my kin on it and you think your rag tag group of guardsmen could beat my swarm?"
"First, if I knew you could talk, insulting you would be more fun. Second, we were not trying to kill you. Your now standing in the biggest bullet know to man."
He easier his bolt pistol pointing it at the things head and pulled the trigger.
* click*
"fuck"
The Broodlord charged and the guardsman did the only thing that came naturally. He threw his gun.
The Broodlord lazily kicked it away into a panel of buttons.
"warp drive activated" the ships automatic voice stated.
The captain calmly sat down and simply sat on the floor weapons sheathed and face calm.
" You finally come to see that you situation is hopeless, there is no escape from the great devourer,"
The Broodlord trumpeted.
" No I just know math, one warp drives are fast, plus two humans can only survive three Gs multiplied by the factor of we are facing a planet, equals..."
The brood lord sputtered weakly" splat?"
"splat."
That's when the ship hit the upper atmosphere. The panals started flaking of filling the sky with light as they burned up. Creatures all over Equis were woken up as the biggest comet know to date plunged into the sky, covering the moon and blinding out the stars. Ponies started screaming in the streets, many assuming judgement was upon them. but one simple faimly knew the truth. Sitting at what Luna's "wunna" sense said was safe, mountain looking at the falling behemont realizing with a smile that he's gonna need a bigger cart.
The earth seemed to buckle and heave as the ground flowed like liquid under the force of a Titan sized ship at terminal velocity hitting the planets crust in a large valley. Around the world earthquakes toppled tall structures , tidal waves toppled the sea ponies city of Atlantis, huge winds racked the Pegasus's capital Olympia, cracks were formed in the spires of unicorn's crystal spires. But worse of all the bow of the ship kept sinking as the rest of the ship pushing it down till at the deepest point at the bow it nudged a rock. This rock as as whole was not very important except at that point it started rolling. It rolled down the hall into long forgotten crypt. It rolled past rows of silent skeletons standing motionless. It rolled past swarms of scarabs. It rolled past the loyal body guards of the king. It rolled into the feet of a long forgotten relic nudging it ever so slightly. A green light shot out from the long dead eye