En Taro, Equestria

by Saacsa

A Few Extra Hands

Upon reaching the war tent, I saw our new friends walking out. Luna first, followed by Stone and then Zeratul.

"Already get the memo? Wow, talk about late." I teased, and Luna rolled her eyes.

"Yes yes, their arrival was very animated. We all watched it through Zeratul's crystal. After your little stunt, that is. Who is Leroy Jenkins anyway?" She questioned, "And don't tell me it's the ruler of the fourth Empire again." She added flatly. It was all I could take not to burst into laughter.

"He was a legend, that's for sure." Ty chuckled. "I think he'd be proud, buddy." He slapped my back, and Charlie rolled her eyes.

"He was an idiot, but he was a pretty legendary idiot, so I'll give you that."

"Hm, the Legendary Idiot, maybe that could be your title after you save the world." Stone mused with a smirk.

"Okay, okay, that's enough. How can you two answer my questions without answering my questions?" Luna asked.

"Usually with our words, though sometimes we like to play charades." I cracked back, earning a chortle from Ty for my troubles.

"I hate to interrupt," Celestia interjected, "However I do believe we have company." She pointed upwards to an incoming Medivac. The white and red aircraft lowered its back thrusters into a hovering position, and out of the bottom dropped four men. One was a heavily armored marine, though his was not standard. It was a dark green color that was close to black, with a the curled skeleton of a Hydralisk on the right shoulder and a skull spray painted across the helm. Welp, that's Raynor. Armor matches with that in the game. The second was a stocky, middle aged man with a clamp for his left hand, he bore an amused twinkle in his eye and a grit to his oily uniform. The third was a lanky looking scientist, complete with taped together glasses and a white labcoat. Except, he was inside some medical looking exoskeleton that gave him the privilege of extra arms. The fourth and final man stood tall and proud, hands clasped behind his back and wearing a suit neater than Celestia’s teats.

I took the incentive and stepped forward, extending a hand to the decorated captain.

"Matthew Horner, I presume?" My own manners shocked me.

"Yes, I'm sure Zeratul has told you plenty about us, however he has neglected to share with us about you. Name and designation?" He was use to this, I could tell by his tone. Instinctively, Ty and I slammed our heels together and snapped a crisp salute.

"Tom Jequar. Viking pilot, United Earth Directorate."

"Ty Halco. Viking pilot, United Earth Directorate." I could see the ponies swapping looks out of the corner of my eye. I guess they figured out our pseudonyms.

"The UED, huh? What are you guys doing here? Is this another conquest attempt?" Raynor finally spoke.

"No, friend Raynor," Zeratul stepped to the plate, "They are here by the Xel-Naga's design, and my own execution. They will save this planet."

"Zeratul," Raynor breathed, then snapped open his visor to reveal the gruff, bearded man beneath. "It's been too long, we have some catching up to do." He smiled warmly, then turned back to us and let the smile evaporate. "So, what's the deal here?"

"The 'deal', Raynor, is my home is under siege, and the Queen of Blades is the epicenter." Celestia broke in, "These two have been nothing but help since they've arrived. Well, a little trouble too, but I'm guessing that's the Terran in them."

"She's sure got a weird way of asking for help, huh hotshot?" Swann nudged his friend.

"Negative," Who could only be Steinman interuppted, "My suit tells me her vitals are spiked way higher than the average pony I've scanned. She's desperate."

"Alright boys, let's cut the chatter." Raynor once more reined back control, "Why is there an infected here." It was definitely not a question.

"Raynor," Luna jumped in to defend her friend, then completely lost it, "It's just... Ya see... I mean... First off, big fan." Oh god, here we go. Celestia's hoof hit her own skull, signifying that I wasn't alone in this process. "But he's not like Kerritsgan! He never lost his will to Amon or the pervasive hive mind!"

Raynor cocked an eyebrow at Zeratul, "Just how much did you tell them?" He asked.

"Not as much as you may think, friend Raynor. Come, let us see how greatly interwoven the Xel-Naga are in our lives." He gestured to follow, and our group of ten made our way to the nearest tent.

Celestia stopped us at the flaps, "One moment, please." She walked into the tent, and a hushed conversation could be heard. Four ponies quickly ushered themselves out, stopping only to nod respectfully. Celestia was the last one out, and as such held the flaps open for us to enter. We did so, and the four Terrans let out an impressed whistle at nearly the same time.

"Oh my... It's... It's-" Steinman stuttered before I cut him off.

"Oh yeah." I smiled wistfully, "It's bigger on the inside, buddy."

"Gotta admit," Swann started, "This could be a helluvan addition, Jimmy." He nudged his friend, who looked around with a smirk on his face.

"You know, you might be on to something, Swann." Raynor scratched his chin.

"I'll be willing to enchant whatever you boys like, as long as you'll be willing to help us." Celestia bargained, inciting a hearty laugh from Swann.

"I like her, hotshot. Let's see what they've got."

"First things first, pal." Raynor turned to Zeratul, "What do ya have for me?" Zeratul turned towards the old computer towers,

"Oh my gosh!" Steinman burst out, "It's a Sinclair ZX80!" He was all but drooling, "Jim, it's one of the very first computers ever released to the public on Earth!" My heart dropped, and a glance at Ty's paling face told me his did too. The rest of the room lapped into an awkward silence that was not lost on the Terrans. Matt took the initiative.

"What's wrong?" He pointed his question more towards Zeratul, thankfully.

"Friend Raynor..." Zeratul couldn't meet his eyes, "Earth is no more..." The silence that pervaded the room a moment after was akin to the kind of quiet you hear in the dead of night.

"Whaddya mean, tall, dark, n not-so-handsome?" The gruff man, Swann, clicked his claw together and narrowed his eyes.

"The Tal'dariem." I could see Raynor shift uncomfortably in his armor at the mention of the rogue Protoss faction. "They've designed a new weapon with the help of their fallen God. It can turn entire planets to ash, we can only pray they do not come here." The dark prelate finished.

"Hmph. All gone, huh?" Raynor scoffed, "Damn fanatics!" An armored fist cracked a nearby table.

"All those people..." Stetman breathed, his hands trembling.

"Yeah, it's bad. Real bad." I spoke up, "But there's not much we can do about them now."

"Right, we've gotta make sure it doesn't happen to this place too." Charlie stamped her hoof to the ground. Raynor pressed two fingers to the side of his helmet and issued quick, precise commands.

"But still," Stetman chimed in, "It doesn't explain the computer. What were you trying to show us?"

"Our story, but the Terran's are... Well, ponies. All of you included." Zeratul explained. If a pin were to drop, it would be heard by the oldest, most tinnitus ridden bastard you'd ever met.

"That's gonna take some explaining. Unfortunately, we don't have the time right now. The Dominion will be here in 10 minutes, let's get saddled up." Raynor turned and did a quick vertical circle with his index finger as he turned around, walking briskly out of the tent. With some brief glances back at each other, we followed suit. Celestia and Stone Kiss trotted a little faster to catch up with Raynor. They had a small conversation amongst themselves, and Raynor paused, cocked his in thought.

"I'll take every advantage I can get right now." He said, loud enough for us in the back to hear. I thought it was intentional, and my assumption was compounded by a quick glance back to Zeratul from the Terran commander. As briefly as it had come, it was gone, and we were once again briskly walking towards the front of the camp.

"I shall put my trust in you, old friend..." I heard the dark prelate mutter under his breath.

The next seven or eight minutes were a whir of machinery, psion matrices, and Arcane sparks as the ragtag group constructed a solid defense. I was impressed at the tenacity of Raynors Raiders, and the efficiency of Zeratul's brethren. They flowed amongst each other like water through a rocky riverbed. They must have done this before, likely more than once. Before long, I was looking at a solid defense line of bunkers with perdition and missile turrets intermingled in strategic placement. Siege tanks hung back behind the photon cannon and dragoon lines, with Khadrian Monoliths right behind the monstrous metal beasts of fire and death. Shield batteries spun and hummed with energy, waiting to protect the forces that would surely have to fight after the line was broken. Vikings and banshees soared through the air with corsairs and scouts, preparing for the brutal battle to come.

"Well I'll be damned, they're certainly better at build time than we are." I chuckled, nudging Charlie.

"I mean, honestly, by the first ten minutes I have like two bunkers and a siege tank!" She scoffed.

"How many SCV's do you usually have?" Came the rough, southern tinged voice of commander Raynor from behind us. We had somehow lost him amist the battle preparations.

"Oh, commander." Charlie popped a quick salute, "By this point, usually twelve."

"That's your issue, not enough workers. I've got twenty-four right now, and Zeratul is sittin' on thirty." He crossed his arms and barked out a few more orders to various marines.

"Proper economy is a necessity for war as well, it seems." I let out a low whistle, and Raynor hummed in agreement. "So, elephant in the room and all..."

"Which one?" The commander snorted.

"Our home planet. Or lack-thereof, I suppose. We going after the Tal'dariem after we save your girl?" Raynor's face grew a bit darker.

"...You're makin' alot of assumptions here, kid."

"Fair point, which ones are wrong though?" I pressed. He strode past me, giving me a light shoulder check that nearly knocked me over.

"All of 'em 'cept one." He growled, making no moves to stop anytime soon.

"Looks like ya went too far there, Tom." Charlie laid a hoof on my shoulder as I regained my balance.

"...Yeah, seems so. I better apologize after this battle." I rubbed the back of my head, "Provided we all survive, anyway."

~~~

The beeps and whirs of machinery were the only sound upon the bridge of the Bucephalus as Emperor Arcturus Mengsk raised a single hand.

"Coming out of warp in five... four... three... two... one." Outside of the bridge, the slipspace snapped open and the battlecruisers were ushered out into the vacuum of space above a quite verdant planet. "Bring up communications with the Hyperion." A few clicks and beeps later, a holographic screen appeared in the center of the bridge, with a young man glaring daggers through it.

"Well well, where is James, dear boy?" Mengsk's tone held the air of superiority with every word.

"Matthew Horner to you, Tyrant. The Commander is preparing for your assault." There was no lack of malice in Horner's voice. If it had bothered Arcturus, he did not show it.

"He'll be sorely disappointed then. Much as I currently am." Mengsk gave a slight shake of his head, much to the confusion of the man on the other side of communications. "I didn't come here to invade and subjugate this time around, my boy. I came for the surrender of Raynors Raiders, nothing more. The ponies are of no interest to me." He waved a dismissive hand, "Besides, I'm sure that Queen of Blades will take this planet by storm. Contact me again when the commander is ready to discuss the terms of his surrender." With a bloop, the communicator went dark, and a wry smile crept across the Emperor's face. He reached down to a small button on his chair and pressed it.

"Sir?" A gravely voice came from the apparatus above the button.

"I believe it's time we paid our mutual acquaintance a visit. Prep a dropship with Sky Fury escort. I'll be down presently."

~~~

"I can't believe he agreed to this. I can't believe you," Stone Kiss gestured to his current mount, "Would agree to this!" He gestured wildly to the winds billowing around them.

"Why ever not, my little pony?" Celestia's voice was tinged with mirth as her wings parted the crisp air. Stone Kiss was perched upon her back, and it seemed he was not use to being in such a position.

"You know good and well why!" He huffed, throwing his front hooves around where Celestia's neck met her barrel and holding on for dear life.

"With all your changes, they didn't see fit to give you wings?" She questioned, more rhetorically than anything else. Even so, it gave Stone pause. With a grunt, and some straining, he tried to extend some facsimile of wings from his back. After a few minutes with nothing to show for it, he sighed and stopped the struggle.

"If they did, I have no idea how to use 'em." He paused, taking a breath. "Either way, we should be approaching a Hive Cluster soon, this particular one has a convenient cliff overlooking the mineral fields. If we drop down on that cliff and teleport a drone up, I can take control of it and we can all teleport back to camp." Stone once again reviewed their plan.

"And they're just going to let us do this?"

"If we're quick enough, they won't have time to stop us."

"If we're not?" Celestia turned her head to meet his gaze.

"Then we make some time. I should be able to handle any Zerg forces that try to interfere." With a plan hatched, the two continued on their flight without much trouble. They came upon the cliffside and alighted down on it, Stone Kiss and Celestia both dropping to their barrels so they could slowly crawl and peek over the edge. There were many drones down below, hustling back and forth between mineral fields and the natural vespene gasses of the planet. With a smooth nod to Stone Kiss, Celestia ignited her horn. In short order, a drone appeared in front of them, and the infected general spliced its mind to his. Almost immediately four mutalisks rose above the cliff's edge, and Stone Kiss quickly shot them down as the solar princess primed the teleportation spell. One swift flash later, and the top of the cliffs were once more bare.

Author's Note:

About those regular updates... Sorry