It was a beautiful day on Mar Sara with not a single cloud in the sky. At least as beautiful a day one could ask for on this world. Mar Sara was not the prettiest world in the Dominion. The planet’s surface was mostly badlands or large bodies of undrinkable water. But after many decades of effort, the world was slowly turning into a healthy hub of pony life. While most of the surface was still considered a wasteland, their little colony had processed enough water and planted enough trees that it could have passed itself off as a part of ancient Equestria.
Just outside the colony was a forest. While all the colonists took great pride in their town, the lush green forest and meadows they had created were the true testament to Dominion ingenuity and resilience. The forest would expand with each generation, and perhaps one day, the entire planet would be as green and healthy as Equestria itself.
Today however, the only goal on the minds of three young mares was helping their final member earn her cutie mark. Best of friends since youth, the Cutie Mark Crusaders swore to stick together until every member had their mark. Sweetie Belle was a talented singer with an angelic voice. Her cutie mark was a musical note flanked by angel wings. Apple Bloom was an excellent engineer and wore a hard hat as a cutie mark. An expert at building and fixing anything, as well as a masterful computer technician, she quickly became the go-to mare for all the colony's electrical and mechanical problems. Scootaloo was the only crusader left to still need her cutie mark, and she was sure that today would be the day. The Crusaders gathered just outside of Sweet Apple Acres, the largest provider of fruit on the Mar Sara colony. The three of them looked at a rundown old barn that would make the perfect target for what was sure to be Scootaloo's special talent.
“Okay girls, it’s all set. Are you ready for this?” asked Scootaloo, her voice filled with excitement. She had a detonator in her hooves, and could barely contain her impatience. It was as if every fiber of her being demanded that she push the big red button on it. After all, was there a pony alive that could resist pushing a big red button?
“You sure you don’t want me to double check it for you Scoots?” asked Apple Bloom. “Demolition isn't a joke.” Apple Bloom did not mind sparing some explosives for Scootaloo's sake; her family had plenty. Apple Bloom often used them to build traps so she could keep some of the nastier trespassers off her family’s orchard. Still, the idea of letting Scootaloo handle something this dangerous was unsettling.
“She won’t get her mark if you do it for her,” said Sweetie Belle.
“She’s right, have some faith. I know what I’m doing. I set all the explosives right where the instructions said to. Nothing can go wrong,” Scootaloo assured. She wasn’t being entirely honest about following the instructions to the letter, but she was still confident in her work.
“Well… if you say so girls. But just to be on the safe side of things, let’s take cover… flying debris and all," suggested Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo let out a sigh. “Fine.” The distractions were beginning to be too much for the mare to handle. Every second spent worrying about their own well being was another second of time spent not blowing stuff up. Scootaloo struggled to keep her composure as the crusaders gathered behind a large tree a safe distance from the barn. “Are you ready now?”
“Just to be even safer, let me put up a force field,” suggested Sweetie Belle.
“Not you too,” said Scootaloo with a tone of disappointment. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“Better safe than sorry,” replied Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle concentrated and conjured a force field around the crusaders. She was not a particularly strong unicorn, but any added protection would be welcome.
Scootaloo did her best to wait patiently as Sweetie Belle erected her force field. If this marathon of perfectly logical safety procedures did not reach its end soon, her sanity surely would.
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “I think you’re being paranoid. She is just blowing up a small barn. It barely takes any explosives at all. No way a blast that small would be able to… Scootaloo how much explosive material did you use?”
Scootaloo’s teeth were grinding. Her eyes shifted between Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as they stared at her awaiting a response. As fast as she could, she counted down “Three two one!” then slammed her hoof on the detonator. Scootaloo was surprised by how loud the blast was. She also was not expecting the ground to shake as violently as it did. The Crusaders stayed behind the tree as they waited for the debris to stop falling. Perhaps there was some logic to Apple Blooms thinking after all?
Once the ringing in their ears subsided, the Crusaders turned around to see a number of holes had been made into the tree they were using as cover. Failing to notice that her force field was covered in tree sap, which was floating above their heads, Sweetie Belle deactivated her shield causing the sap to rain down on the crusaders.
Scootaloo touched her hair, then examined the sap on her hoof. “Some things never change,” she said with a sigh. She was confused by the sight of three holes now in the tree they had used for cover, all of which were still oozing. As annoying as being repeatedly covered in sap was, it could have been worse; her friends were wise to encourage protection. She looked down at her flank to see it was bare and blank. “And still no cutie mark!”
“So… as I was saying,” said Apple Bloom trying to contain her anger. “How much explosive did you use!? You said you followed the instructions!”
“I thought those were more like guidelines,” replied Scootaloo forcing a nervous smile.
The Crusaders looked past the tree towards the old barn. It was still standing, with the exception of a now blown out wall. Apple Bloom put her hoof to her forehead. “All you had to do was put a small piece of dynamite on the central support beam Scoots.”
“Well I was worried it wouldn’t be enough. So I used one of the bigger ones you had. The claymore,” replied Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom let out a long drawn out “Scoootalooooo! Those aren’t for demolition, those are for killing people!”
“Umm, aren’t all bombs for killing people?” asked Swettie Belle.
Apple Bloom quickly defended her position with a “NO! Sometimes… it depends.” Apple Bloom looked at the tree again which had absorbed the blast. “You could have at least faced the claymore away from us.”
“What’s it matter?” asked Scootaloo.”
“Because it fires metal ball bearings in the direction it’s facing. That’s why you turned that tree into swiss cheese. It would have done the same to us if it weren’t for Sweetie Belle's force field,” answered Apple Bloom.
Before the Crusaders could continue their conversation any further, they heard a rumbling as the old barn began to sink underground. “Check that out!” shouted Scootaloo. “I used the wrong type of explosive the wrong way, and I still took out that barn!” Scootaloo looked down at her flank again in excitement, followed by disappointment. “Still no cutie mark.”
“This doesn’t make any sense,” said Apple Bloom.
“I know right? What’s a mare have to do to get her cutie mark around here?!” shouted Scootaloo.
“Not that. I mean there is no way that one claymore caused the barn to fall under ground,” replied Apple Bloom.
“Let’s check it out!” shouted Scootaloo. Always the adventurous one of the group, she charged at the wreckage before either of her friends could stop her. The other Crusaders ran to catch up to her at the edge of the newly made hole in the ground. The three of them could not believe what they were seeing. “Awesome,” was the only word Scootaloo was able to force out.
The Crusaders could not believe it, ancient terran ruins right outside of Sweet Apple Acres. Just about every colonized world in the sector contained ruins left behind from the long dead terran. They were not uncommon, nor hard to find. Often times they were large cities, military bases, or space platforms. Many of them had been restored and were now in use by ponies throughout the sector. Due to the conspicuous nature of the ruins, governments were usually quick to secure them and strip them of any useful technology or records from before the terran extinction. But every now and then someone would find a small pocket of undisturbed artifacts. A small farm, a derelict spaceship, a disabled vehicle buried in the wilderness, or maybe just an old movie disk giving the ponies a glimpse of the long dead culture that came before them. They were always a rare and precious find, and the Crusaders had found one completely undisturbed… until now.
Apple Bloom was conflicted. Dominion law demanded any artifacts, great or small, be immediately reported. Stealing artifacts from a site was punishable under pain of death. She was a proud law abiding Imperial citizen, but at the same time, she was entertaining the idea of keeping some of the artifacts, and reverse engineering the technology herself.
“Girls… I think I just discovered my special talent,” said Scootaloo still staring down at the ruins.
“Excuse me?” replied Sweetie Belle.
“I’m an archeologist!” shouted Scootaloo.
“I don’t think this counts Scoots. All you did was use the wrong type of explosive, and almost ended up killing your friends,” commented Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, but I did it with style,” responded Scootaloo. “Now come on, let’s see what’s inside!”
“Don’t you think we should tell someone?” asked Sweetie Belle.
To no one's surprise, Scootaloo jumped into the pit eager to see what the ruins had in store for them. Scootaloo looked around as best she could in the dim chamber. There were lots of doorways leading to parts unknown. The air seemed almost as dusty as the surfaces. Small bugs skittered across the floor. The walls were littered with bullet holes, and on the ground was what appeared to be a severed claw.
A light began to shine behind her, followed by Sweetie Belle's voice. “Scoots are you crazy?” said Sweetie Belle as she illuminated the room with her glowing horn. “We have to get out of here!”
“It’s just a zergling claw, Sweetie Belle. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before,” replied Scootaloo.
“It not the claw I’m worried about Scoots. If anyone finds out we disturbed a site without calling it in, we could be dragged off to jail, or worse!” argued Sweetie Belle. “We aren’t fillies anymore, they won’t go easy on us.”
Scootaloo wasn’t convinced. “Come on girls! This is our only chance to look around before this placed gets stripped for parts. We’ll never get another chance like this again in our lives. Don’t you want to at least see what’s in here?”
Apple Bloom would be lying if she said she had no interest. “She might be onto something, Sweetie Belle. It's not every day we find a ruin, especially one in this condition. It couldn’t hurt to just look around could it?”
Sweetie Belle took a moment to think before responding. She knew this was illegal, and possibly dangerous. At the same time she also knew Scootaloo would not be persuaded. She was not about to let one of her best friends wander around blindly in the dark. “Well… alright. I guess we could look around a bit. But first sign of trouble and we’re out of here alright?”
The Crusaders were in agreement and began exploring the chambers. Apple Bloom knew more than just a thing or two about terran technology, and if she had to guess, this was some kind of shelter. But from what? It wasn’t long before they found a mostly whole zergling carapace, save a few bullet holes. While time had eaten away at its innards, the carapace was still as hard as ever, and it was not difficult to imagine what the creature would have been like if it were still alive.
The zergling was not much bigger than one of the larger breeds of dogs. Its two hind legs were thick and powerful, making it good at both running and jumping. Apple Bloom had seen these nasty creatures around the orchid now and then, and knew just how fast these little monsters were, easily able to catch all but the fastest of ponies. Its toes had two razor sharp claws on each foot; time had done little to dull their edges. Spikes ran down the creatures back from neck to tail. Its most dangerous feature was a set of “arms” coming out of its back, complete with scythe like blades. The scythes coming out of its back were strictly meant for killing, and were capable of cutting through metal and stone given enough time. Lastly, its head was like that of a dog, if a dog had an exoskeleton. Even in death, its fangy smile remained with horns along the cheeks. Its forehead was massive and thick.
These dangerous vermin were common in the Korpulu sector, and came in slightly different variants on each world. Some ran on two legs while others had no horns. Each strain of zergling had adapted to its own environment. No one knew why, but for some reason they could be found on virtually every habitable planet, and even many normally uninhabitable ones.
While the militarized zerg armies of the Confederacy were feared throughout the sector, feral zerg weren't known for being organized. At worst feral zerglings were only known for occasionally killing anyone unfortunate enough to stumble across one in the wilderness. As dangerous as they were, they were still just another stupid and vicious vermin that usually weren’t anything colonial militia couldn’t handle. The idea that they could over run a town, much less a military facility, was outlandish. Yet here before the Crusaders was living proof.
The Crusaders followed the direction it was facing and found another zergling corpse, followed by another. After a trail of about seven zerg corpses, they came across a something else they’d never thought to see in their lifetime, an actual terran corpse. The poor bipedal creature was still clad in battle armor.
The power armor itself was nothing that the Crusaders had not seen before. The ponies adapted it for use in their own militaries. It was a very thick and bulky suit of mechanical power armor many times the mass of the soldier inside. It had a torso, two legs and two arms. Painted on one of the shoulders were the words “Dominion Marine Corps.” The only thing that was not exactly relative to the soldier's body was the head. As the suit was so much bulkier than the person inside, the marines head sticking out of the suit seemed miniscule by comparison. To protect the head, a dome surrounded the area where the head would stick out from. The back half of the dome was a thick layer of steel. The front half was a thick glass visor that could seal shut allowing the marine inside to survive in space, or retract allowing the marine breathe the fresh air of a habitable planet.
Pony versions of the power armor were similar, with an exception. As the now extinct terrans were bipedal creatures, they already had arms and legs. The pony version of the power armor suits had four legs, but the suit could change into a bipedal form. In its bipedal form, the two front legs became arms, and the front hooves would change into robotic hands, allowing the pony to hold and use weapons and equipment.
Judging by the headless zergling next to him, and by the claw sticking into the suits lower abdomen, the terran marine managed to hold his own against the attacking zerg, but eventually died to his injury.
Scootaloo approached the visor hoping to crack it open so she could see the terran still inside. It wasn't every day you got to see a real terran corpse.
“Scootaloo show some respect!” shouted Sweetie Belle.
“Don’t tell me you aren’t curious,” replied Scootaloo.
“I am but… this just isn’t right. What if that was you in there? You wouldn’t want other people poking at you would you?” retorted Sweetie Belle.
“Fine, I’ll leave it alone. I’m sure there is lots of other cool stuff to explore anyway,” said Scootaloo.
The crusaders continued their exploration of the ruins. They found many dead zerg, though no terrans who weren’t sealed within their armor. Scootaloo was with a hint of disappointment. She was hoping to see a real terran, even if just his bones. She knew what they looked like. She spent many days of her youth watching old terran movies. Seeing one in real life however was a sight few ponies would ever experience.
As the crusaders made their way through the shelter, the signs of fighting were becoming more and more apparent. A pattern eventually became clear; all the zerg were trying to reach a certain room. Following the path of carnage, they finally they reached a door labeled “Command Center.” The door was ripped open, most likely by the zerglings. One by one the crusaders made their way through the breach to see what was inside. This room seemed to have experienced the worst of the fighting. Over a dozen terran lay dead in their armor, and many more zerg lay dead with them. Looking at the other torn open doors, it was apparent the zerg were coming in from all directions; the terrans never stood a chance.
“How could this happen?” asked Apple Bloom. “The zerg never attack like this. The most I’ve ever seen wonder onto the farm were just one or two at a time. Nothing Big Mac or AJ couldn’t handle.”
“Girls check this out!” shouted Scootaloo. The other crusaders came to Scootaloos side to see what was so important.
“I don’t believe it,” said Sweetie Belle. The three of them looked in awe at an unarmored terran skeleton, sitting on a chair in front of a large computer. Some hair still remained on its head, and its clothing was still intact except for a large cut in its chest. A name tag on the uniform read, “Jenkins.”
Scootaloo slowly reached over to touch it, but was again met with a “Scootaloo! Stop disrespecting the dead! You wanted to see a dead terran, you saw one. Now let’s just get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps,” demanded Sweetie Belle.
“Alright, but let’s look around this room a bit. Maybe we can find something cool to take back!” said Scootaloo.
“No! I already told you, if anyone finds out we stole anything from here, we’ll all be in trouble,” replied Sweetie Belle.
“Well… Apple Bloom is messing around with that computer over there. I don’t see you giving her a lecture,” replied Scootaloo.
“Apple Bloom!” shouted Sweetie Belle. “Not you too. Let’s just get out of here before-” Sweetie Belle was cut off as the computer screen came to life. “What have you done?”
“I’m just taking a look to see if anything still works is all,” answered Apple Bloom. The computer only read one message and a choice. REBOOT SYSTEM? Y/N. Apple Bloom looked down at the keyboard towards the Y key.
“What are you waiting for?” asked Scootaloo from behind her left shoulder wearing metaphorical demon horns. “Do it, you know you want too.”
"I don’t think this is a good idea Apple Bloom,” said Sweetie Belle behind her right shoulder wearing a metaphorical angelic halo. "We
should leave now before we get in trouble."
“You're right Sweetie Belle,” said Apple Bloom. “But if I don’t push this button, I don’t think I’ll be able to live this down. Like Scoots said, we’ll never get a chance like this again.” Sweetie Belle remained silent, but it was clear she did not agree with this course of action. “You can head back to the surface first if you want,” continued Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “No way am I just leaving you girls in here. Without me you’ll just get lost in the dark anyway.” Sweetie Belle hesitated for a moment before answering. “I guess… I’m ready when you are.”
Apple Bloom filled with glee as she rebooted the ancient computer. When the system was operational again, the image of a furless bipedal terran appeared on the screen. The crusaders quickly recognized the name tag on the uniform, “Jenkins.” The man, at least they assumed it was a male if all those terran movies they watched as children taught them anything, was holding his hand against a wound trying in vain to hold back the blood. Though the room was dark, the glow of the screen revealed some of the surrounding area. All around him was blood, dead marines and dead zerg in the same position that the crusaders had found them in when they entered the room. The crusaders kept quiet as the terran began to speak.
“To any surviving terrans who receive this message. The entire shelter has been overrun. You will find no sanctuary here.” The terran pauses for a moment to cough out some blood onto the keyboard. “We managed to deal with the zerg temporarily, but not before they broke in. I’m all that’s left, but not for long. There are no survivors, do not attempt rescue. The shelters logs are in the desk in the back. Take them, and then leave this place while you still can. David, if you ever see this message, just remember that your father… loved… you.” The terran passed out while the video continued to play with the terran laying still in his chair.
Apple Bloom couldn’t believe it. Logs. She found logs of what might have been the last days of some of the last terran survivors in the sector. She could be making history here.
Sweetie Belle was deeply hurt by the message. She remembered all the dead terran they saw on the way to this room. She had only ever thought of them as ruins, technology, or actors in ancient movies. Now she was thinking of them as a people. This man had a family apparently, and he died never knowing what became of his son. What had they done to deserve to die like this?
While she may not have gotten her cutie mark today, this was easily the most exciting day of Scootaloos life. She decided to break the silence with a “That… was… awesome! A real terran!”
“Scootaloo! There is nothing awesome about this! That poor man is dead!” shouted Sweetie Belle.
“Well it’s not like I killed him!” argued Scootaloo. “Besides, you have to look on the bright side of things. We’ve seen more real life... dead terrans today than most people will in their whole lives. Isn’t that right Apple Bloom?”
“Let’s discuss the ethics of what we did after we’re out of this tomb, okay? Sweetie Belle do me a favor and get those logs would you?” requested Apple Bloom.
“Apple Bloom, you know what will happen if anyone finds out we stole from this place!” shouted Sweetie Belle.
“I’ll just delete this message, I’m sure I can figure it out. It isn't too different from my computer back at home.” Most Dominion technology was reversed engineered from terran artifacts. Odds were the logs would be readable by her computer back at the farm house. “Come on Sweetie Belle. Just this one last thing and we’ll be out of here, I promise,” begged Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, come on Sweetie Belle. You’re the only one of us who can see in the dark. And like she said, get this one last thing and we’ll head for the exit,” assured Scootaloo.
“Well… alright. But remember, you said straight for the exit.” Sweetie Belle walked to the other side of the large room to find said logs. She might not agree with what her friends were doing, but she would be happy just to get them and herself out of here.
“Now let’s see what I can do about deleting this message,” said Apple Bloom.
Before she could start, Scootaloo stopped her. “Hold on! I think he is still alive. His lips are moving, look!” said Scootaloo. Apple Bloom realized Scootaloo was right. She turned up the volume as loud as she could, but it still wasn’t enough. Scootaloo put her ears to the speakers hoping to hear what his dying words were. He was saying the same thing over and over again. Scootaloo began repeating his words, or at least what she believed he was trying to say. “Don’t… turn on… the lights?”
Sweetie Belle searched the desk for the earlier mentioned disk, and eventually found a small box labled “Command Center Logs.” This must be it, she thought to herself. She turned around to see her friends were still looking at the screen. Scootaloo had her ear against the computer for some reason. Sweetie Belle was about to tell her friends she found the logs so they could get going, but then at the corner of her eye she saw something. A panel labeled “emergency power” and under it was a large red button.
If I turn the lights back on, we'll have an easier time getting out of here. I'd hate for us to get lost in the dark, she thought.
Sweetie Belle reached over and pushed the red button. With emergency power activated, lights throughout the station turn on. With those lights, the screams of an untold number of awakened and angry zerg could be heard throughout the shelter.