//------------------------------// // The next morning. // Story: Blood ravens: Crashlanding in Equestria. // by ThatRarityIsaSpy //------------------------------// Applebloom peered out the window and was greeted by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle giving her a signal from a lantern. They had made plans to go see the crash site once again and maybe get their cutie marks in anything that has to do with aliens! Applebloom stealthily left her farm and went to go meet the other cutie mark crusaders. Time to go meet some aliens! Thule went outside. He was ready. “Angelos, I am off to salvage.” He said. “You there, come with me.” He pointed at a few marines as they went off to go and retrieve whatever they may of left behind in their thunderhawks. “So... what do you think the aliens are like?” Scootaloo asked. “Maybe they are really AWESOME! Like Rainbow Dash!” “Maybe they are really quiet and don’t want to be seen like Fluttershy. They aren’t exactly coming out in open arms to greet anyone.” Sweetie Belle replied. “If Anything I think these Aliens are probably afraid of us.” “Maybe....” Scootaloo said. “But meeting them will be totally awesome! And maybe they are also.....” Scootaloo turned around to see that the others weren’t listening and were looking around and listening...... “Sweetie Belle, do you hear that?” Applebloom said. A low growl was cutting the quiet night. “I think, I do....” She replied. “I think it’s coming from there.” She pointed at really large cave. “You think that’s the aliens?!” Scootaloo said really loudly now excited. She quickly ran right into the cave. As soon as she did, she was greeted with several roars from the cave as well as mob of timberwolves. “TIMBERWOLVES! RUN!” The three cutie mark crusaders ran off hoping the angered predators would not catch up to them. “Well, that’s the first Thunderhawk.” Thule said taking a look around. Aside from a few trinkets of potential value, there was really nothing of value. He was just going to leave when someone said. “You hear something?” “Probably just some fauna of this world.” Thule replied as he picked up his bolter. Then as the noise got louder. Thule dropped what he was doing and ordered his men to hide. For the space marines, it was a rather odd sight. What appeared to be a smaller version of the ancient Terran horse was being chased by a pack of wooden wolves....... Almost paying no mind to this except for awkward looking at each other, Thule told his battle brothers to continue with their work. It was of no concern of his for the time being. “We’re not running to the right side of the forest!” Scootaloo said. “Yes we are!” Applebloom puffed. “We’re going for Zecora’s hut! It’s not too far from here!” Not too far from here however was only an overstatement to keep them running, soon it became clear that they weren’t even headed the right way. Over time, the three cutie mark crusaders were giving in to fatigue. Unexpectedly a large manticore came flying out of nowhere landing on most of the timber wolves crushing or scattering all the wolves. “It saved us! Thanks... ah guess....” Applebloom said. But there was something strange about the manticore, it wasn’t moving. It’s eyes were open but it wasn’t blinking. Suddenly a sense of dread filled the three as they approached the manticore. Sure enough, the animal was dead. “It’s... dead.....” Someone said as they felt it’s cold body. “What could of done this?” Right on cue, what the cutie mark crusaders would later describe as a “moving house” appeared and picked up the dead manticore and broke it’s back with little effort. Then it carried the beast away followed by another one of the aliens. “Whoa....... a moving house......” They thought to themselves as they ran back home. “Applebloom, have you been sneaking off in the middle of the night again?!” Applejack asked in the next morning when Applebloom had trouble getting up. “What!?...eh...no... not at all.” Applebloom said as she comically fell back in a heap. “You gotta stop doing that. A little filly like you needs her rest! Now stay home and get some sleep. I am going to help Twilight. She told me she’s going to take a look at the crashed contraption of those aliens.” Rainbow dash had also decided to help the other two. Now the three ponies went into the everfree forest to go and see the crash site. Cyrus and Tarkus sat down by a fire as they began to eat their mid-day meal. The local wildlife weren’t too hard to track down and they were caught with relative ease while any edible flora was easily found. “The food here is good and plentiful.” Tarkus commented eating a handful of blueberries. “With luck it will last.” Cyrus said. “So why are here again?” “Apparently Captain Thule and a few others ran into some local creatures. He wants us to keep an eye on this thunderhawk as the techmarines may decide to dismantle it.” “Dismantle our only way off this planet?” Cyrus asked. “That’s just insane.” “I agree but we aren’t going anywhere without any warp capable ships or even just a navigator.” Tarkus said. Cyrus scoffed and continued to eat. Jonah Orion arrived to join them. “Glad of you to join us Librarian. Found anything?” Tarkus asked giving the librarian a few helpings of roasted rabbit. “Yes, there are many psykers within this area. Though come to think of it, most of them are rather weak and aren’t much of a threat. But I feel staying in isolation may be the best thing to do. I’ve only taken a look at just the surrounding area not the entire planet. The last thing I will ever want is having to single-handedly face down a planet with 1/3 of it’s population being Psykers.” The librarian finished talking and got something to eat. Suddenly, he stood up and was alert. “Something wrong Jonah?” Tarkus asked. “Yes..... I sense a psyker approaching.” Tarkus whispered something to Cyrus and Jonah who quickly found a place to hide as he put on a helmet and laid down on the ground not moving a muscle. “I think this was where the ship landed.” Twilight said noting the upset trees and vegetation. “Awfully large thing they must travel in.” Applejack commented. “Take a look at all of this......” “Alright watch out for those thorns.” Twilight said as the three pushed through a few thorn bushes. “Over there....” Cyrus whispered pointing at the rustling in the bushes. Drawing a serrated knife he got into a ready position. The first thing they saw was a small, cyan Terran horse that was maybe 4 feet tall. It pushed through first falling into a heap with three others. After picking themselves up the purple one first noticed the prone Tarkus. “Hey over there!” She said. The three blood ravens could hardly contain their surprise that these things spoke their language. But nevertheless they stuck with their plan. “I think it may of done busted itself up.” Applejack said approaching Tarkus who lay still. “Maybe the crash had injured it.” “Fluttershy can probably patch it up.” Rainbow Dash said. “He sure is a big guy.” Over twice as tall as any of the ponies were. Taller than Princess Celestia. Twilight went closer to take a better look.. Without warning, a large hand seized her by the neck and held her down as the red giant got up. From behind them two others came over right behind them. “Hey! What are you doing?! Let me go....” Twilight struggled. “I am still surprised they can talk.” Cyrus said pinning Rainbow Dash and Applejack down. “Time we killed them?” “No wait!” Jonah said. “That purple one..... I think it’s a psyker!” Tarkus looked up and released Twilight who gingerly rubbed her neck. “Cyrus? Your knife.” Jonah said. Cyrus handed him the knife and with that he seized hold of Twilight and gave her a little sting with the knife and lapping up some of the blood that followed. “That hurts....” Twilight said looking at the wound. “If he wanted to hurt you, you’d be dead as of now.” Cyrus said. “Alright Jonah what do you see?” “Well, now I’ve seen everything.” Jonah said. “Have a see for yourselves.....” He passed them the knife. After Tarkus and Cyrus both had a few drops of blood, they were all also surprised at the nature of this world. “So... what should we do with them?” Cyrus asked. “Well, I spoke to Captain Angelos. I don’t like the idea of having to live on a planet full of xenos but if we kill them, that’s not going to sway the odds in our favor. From what I heard we were supposed to keep hidden but that’s obviously not going to happen after what happened with Captain Thule and here.” “What in the hay are these guys talking about?” Applejack said. Only to be shut up by Cyrus. “Librarian!” Someone said as a scout came to tell them something. “Our men have encountered a giant beast the size of a titan! Your assistance is needed.” “I am coming.” He said. “Abandon these creatures, they aren’t of any threat to us, but I want to see what this creature is.” The three marines got their weapons to follow the scout who led them to the battle. “I wonder what this “titan-sized” thing is.” Twilight thought. “Come on girls! Let’s check out what these aliens are doing.” Following the blood ravens the three ponies come across a squad of the aliens who are in battle with a large blue bear. An Ursa minor. "I asked for heavy weapons? Where are they?" The Sergeant of the squad yelled to the scout. "Not here yet! I bought the Librarian!" The scout replied. Jonah quickly joining in doing what gamers would call "Spamming" as lightning bolts began to strike the Ursa but did little aside from scorching it's face. Even though the weapons of the space marines were formidable, none of them were hitting where it mattered and so, the most the Ursa felt would be a Mosquito bite from the bolt guns. The three ponies watched that despite the "rampaging" Ursa kept trying to smash the aliens, it just couldn't hit any of them. That's when another Alien arrived. From his armor and the way that the people greeted him, he was of some sort of leader figure. Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack watched as he went to fight the large bear armed only with a giant hammer. The three then watched in awe as the Ursa brought down it's fists together to crush the alien. All he did was move to the side, and then with blinding speed, he jumped back onto the Ursa's frontal paw and jumped up all the way to it's head. Then with several mighty blows began to hammer the Ursa's skull to a bloody pulp. This process only took about 10 seconds to complete. "That's disgusting...." Rainbow Dash whispered watching as Gabriel was greeted by his battle brothers and the bashed remains of the Ursa's head. "Poor Ursa." Applejack thought. "Listen girls," Twilight said. "Let's get back to ponyville. Princess Celestia needs to hear about this. Whatever they are, they aren't too friendly and pretty dangerous." Twilight was worried. From where they were, it almost looked like the space marines were making sport of the Ursa. If that one had highhandedly beaten an Ursa in a fight what could an army of them do? And speaking of which, how many of them were there?