//------------------------------// // The Return of Goliath Nule // Story: PonyHammer 40,000: Magic of War II // by Dragon Heart //------------------------------// "At the heart of the Paranid hive lies the reclamation pool. We must have a sample of this purified essence. With it, we may revive Captain Nule. With it, we may develop weapons against the Hive Fleet itself." _____________________________________________________________________________________ A lone Paranid was slithering through the muck of the swamp. Then a quiet noise broke the natural silence, and the Paranid burrowed into the mud before a drop pod smashed into the ground. Out of the pod came Commander Hammerheart, the Sergeants, and a small but well armed squad of Pony Marines. "Your target is on your map display." said Spike. "Collect the sample there." "Understood." said Applejack. The Pony Marines began their trek through the muck as they headed towards the pool's location. The Paranid that hid in the ground surfaced to attack, but was quickly gunned down before it could make a move. They continued to traverse through the swamp's waters and mud, shooting at any Paranid that lunged at them. They eventually found a small array that stood on hardened ground. They approached the array, and a swarm of Paranids skittered towards them from all directions. "Ambush!" said Pinkie. The Blood Phoenixes aimed their guns and fired away at the animals, but while they were distracted, Paranid Ravagers bursted from the dirt and sent any Pony Marine who was standing over them flying. Hammerheart and Rainbow Dash slashed at the big beasts while the others continued to shoot at the smaller ones that swarmed them. Two Ravagers fell to Hammerheart's and Rainbow Dash's blades, and the other two tried to flee. "Do NOT let them escape!" Applejack yelled as she aimed at the Paranids. Hoovitus and the Devastator Marines unloaded their barrage of bullets at the fleeing Ravagers and tore them to shreds. "That was the last of them." said Rainbow Dash. "Expect more attacks." said Applejack. The Pony Marines resumed their march to the pools, still shooting at Paranids that appeared from the decaying foliage. After walking for hours through thick mud, treacherous waters, and Paranid bodies, they finally reached the rank, rancid toxic pools. Hoovitus brought his hoof to his comm link. "We have reached the toxin pool." "Commander Hammerheart," said Spike, "gather the sample at the pool's edge. This will allow us to prepare an antitoxin for Captain Nule." Hammerheart approached the edge of the putrid pool and began the slow gathering process. A Paranid Warrior appeared and charged at them. "Paranid Warrior!" Applejack yelled. "Keep it off Commander Hammerheart!" Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Hoovitus opened fire and quickly dispatched the warrior beast, but more Paranids began a swarming assault on their position. The Sergeants and recruits unloaded their weapons upon the swarm. After minutes of progress, Hammerheart finished the collecting process. "Well done." said Spike. "Sample collected. Apothecary Rashet is analyzing the data to prepare the cure." "We have the sample." said Applejack. "Our work is done. Make for the extraction point marked on the map." Hammerheart and the other Pony Marines regrouped and headed for the designated location. They were still being assaulted by random Paranids that lunged from the trees, but the Blood Phoenixes were unfazed as they shot at the monsters. "Beginning revival." said Spike as they were curing Nule of his poisonings. The Blood Phoenixes finally reached the extraction point, but the ground beneath them started to crack. The dirt began to swell. Then, a large Paranid monster burst from the ground, sending the Pony Marines flying. "Hive Alpha!" Applejack shouted. "Concentrate fire!" Pinkie, Applejack, Hoovitus, and the recruits quickly galloped to cover and opened fire at the beast, while Hammerheart, Rainbow Dash, and the Pegasus Marines slashed at the creature. The monster's tough hide and high endurance made it an even more deadly foe than the Scorpnox. Pegasus Marines fell to the animal's claws, and Pony Marines were blasted and killed by the venom cannon that stuck out of its mouth as it opened wide. "Die, xeno, DIE!" Hoovitus yelled. "Keep fighting!" Applejack yelled. The beast then lowered its head and started scratching the dirt with its hind claws. "It's going to charge!" said Hoovitus. Hammerheart, Rainbow Dash, and the remaining Pegasus Marines quickly got out of its way as it ran and smashed its head and claws into a large downed tree. It pulled itself free and turned to face the Pony Marines again, but a drop pod landed near the battle, and out came a Harmonaught that slowly marched towards them. It stood twenty feet tall with four legs, had a nice golden trim, a grappling limb with a flamethrower on the left, and an assault cannon on the right. It went to engage the Hive Alpha. "I am Goliath Nule." the Harmonaught said with a deep, metallic voice. "And I shall be your death!" Goliath swung at the beast, dealing great amounts of damage to it. The monster struck back with its claws, but did nothing but scratch Nule's armor. It opened its jaws and stuck out its venom cannon, a point-blank shot would most likely do damage against Goliath's vehicle armor, but Nule grabbed the slimy projectile weapon and tore it off. The Hive Alpha roared in immense pain. "Your weapon has died." said Goliath. "You are next!" The Hive Alpha slammed its claws into the Harmonaught's shoulders, but still didn't pierce the thick metal. Nule then grabbed the monster by the throat and activated his flamethrower. The beast screeched with absolute agony as it was virtually cooked alive. Hammerheart and the Pony Marines watched in awe the whole time as their awakened Captain combated against the Paranid. Goliath released his grip, and the beast took a few steps back before falling to the ground. Nule fired some assault cannon bullets into the animal's burnt hide before lifting his front-right leg and crushing its head with a tremulous stomp. "The beast is gone." said Goliath. The ground started to quake, and large, fleshy spikes rose from the dirt. The Pony Marines dodged the growth spurts and regrouped with Captain Nule. "Well done." said Spike. "This hive will wither without its alpha." "And Captain Nule is with us again!" Rainbow Dash said with relieved happiness. "Is that you... Michael?" Goliath asked. Rainbow Dash's smile vanished as she raised an eyebrow and cocked her head back in confusion. "It is Rainbow Dash, Captain..." She said, "Do you not recognize me?" "The secrets of Cronus shall not pass my lips." said Nule. "Captain Nule must rest now." said Spike. "His revival was a long and difficult process." The Pony Marines and Captain Nule were brought back aboard the Ponigeddon to recover from the ugly battle that was one of the greatest in the history of the Blood Phoenix Chapter. _____________________________________________________________________________________ "Administering the anti-toxin..." said Rashet. "Powering the armature..." said Spike as he pressed buttons and pulled levers. "Captain Nule... can you hear us?" Goliath's mechanical grappling appendage spun slowly before he raised his limb up and slammed it on the floor of the Strike Cruiser's docking bay. _____________________________________________________________________________________ "Excellent work, Commander Hammerheart." said Pegalos. "Captain Nule's return could be the difference in our fight to save the sector." Pegalos closed his eyes and smiled. "It is good to see such a close friend and such a fierce warrior back from the dead..." His smile vanished. "even if he is confined to a Harmonaught. Most importantly, the bio-toxin sample you collected will allow us to develop a weapon with which to deal a killing blow against the Hive Fleet. But this weapon will avail us nothing if we cannot locate a critical weakness in the Hive Fleet itself. Continue your efforts to recover data from the TechDonkeys' Astronomic Array on Salika. We must also secure a manufacturing facility advanced enough to produce these new weapons. The only such facility in the sector is Alicorn Forge on Galantius. Pegalos out."